Tools of the Trade: Practical Research Methods for Events,Teams and Venues

Abstract

In the course of their consulting work, the authors have tested various research approaches, primarily qualitative, to provide a more complete picture of the survey respondent and his or her input. The approaches described in this article have been conducted at special events such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Came and selected NCAA championship events, and also for several professional (minor and major league) sports franchises. In the majority of these cases, the research methods were used to supplement traditional paper-and-pen-cil surveys in the hopes of gaining greater insight into the emotions and motivations of the respondent. Effective qualitative methodologies such as those described in this article, when combined with some quantitative survey instrument, provide a valuable tool for sport marketers in their evaluation of past marketing activities and the strategic planning for future efforts.