Annual events like summertime fairs, concerts, and festivals stand to gain incredible value from market research.
By speaking with target audiences for the event, stakeholders can build an understanding of what needs to be done to increase attendance and visitor satisfaction.
Event market research can answer questions such as:
- How many people are aware of the fair?
- What sentiment do they associate with the fair?
- What ultimately drives them to attend?
These are the kinds of questions we recently asked on behalf of an advertising agency and its state fair client. This kind of research helps our clients make educated decisions about how to improve their event or distribute marketing dollars to have the biggest impact.
Read more below about the objectives, approach, and outcomes of this market research study.
Need a market research proposal for a similar project? Learn how to get started with market research.
Objectives of the Event Market Research
A full-service advertising agency in Rochester, NY partnered with Drive Research to conduct a market research study for a state fair in the U.S.
The goal of the market research project was to better understand awareness, perception, attitudes, barriers to attending, and exploring potential motivations and messages to visit.
These and other secondary objectives were addressed in the survey.
The results helped fuel the next steps in operations, marketing, and strategy for the client.
How We Conducted the Event Market Research
To address the objectives for the advertising agency and its state fair client, Drive Research recommended the following market research approach. This included six qualitative pre-test phone interviews, followed by a full quantitative online survey within target Designated Market Areas (DMAs).
The benefits of an online survey for an event include:
- Cost-effective
- Offer a quick turnaround
- Measurable results
- Provides quality data
The combination of these 4 benefits allowed the sponsor of the survey to maximize their return on investment (ROI).
Who completed the event survey?
All respondents were residents in primary and secondary DMAs adjacent to the event’s location for the state fair client.
The survey was blinded, which meant respondents did not know it was sponsored by the state fair when starting the survey.
More details of the event survey.
Fieldwork for the survey began on March 5 and lasted until March 13, 2020.
The online survey took an average of 10 minutes to complete and included 39 questions. The survey received 1,213 responses.
Curious about what a pretest interview is used for? Here are ten benefits to pretesting your online survey.
Outcomes of the Event Survey
The detailed findings from the survey outlined in a market research report remain confidential with the advertising agency and its state fair client.
The fair survey research report included background and methodology, an executive summary of key findings, trending data, strategic implications, and an infographic.
The report also included an appendix. This featured a detailed question-by-question breakdown of the survey and a final copy of the survey document.
The market research answered the following research objectives:
- What are the summer habits and behaviors of respondents?
- What is the awareness of the fair and activities?
- What is the perception of the fair? Has it changed?
- What are the key drivers to attending/not attending the fair?
- What about the food/concerts make the fair appealing?
- How much does tradition impact summertime activity/event plans?
- How does advertising impact the fair?
Drive Research is a market research company headquartered in Syracuse, NY. Our team has years of experience with image and awareness studies for all kinds of clients.
Are you interested in conducting market research for your event? Contact us through any of the four ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Tim Gell
As a Research Analyst, Tim is involved in every stage of a market research project for our clients. He first developed an interest in market research while studying at Binghamton University based on its marriage of business, statistics, and psychology.
Learn more about Tim, here.
