Management of multi-purpose stadiums: importance and performance measurement of service interfaces

Maintaining and increasing visitor satisfaction is a crucial success factor in managing modern, multi-functional stadiums for sports, concerts, shows and other kinds of events. Based on a typical service delivery process when attending an event, this study identifies the relevant factors that influence visitor satisfaction with stadiums. An analysis of this process and its service interfaces by means of direct observation allows us to establish relationships in a structural equation model. Using data from almost 2,500 visitors of a major German multi-purpose stadium, the hypothesised relationships are subsequently tested by means of the partial least squares (PLS) path modelling approach. An importance-performance map-based assessment is used to derive recommendations for improving service interface performance and hence, visitor satisfaction.