The Effectiveness of Convention & Exhibition Websites: A Transatlantic Comparison and Future Scenario
SEJUNG MYUNG
ALASTAIR M. MORRISON
J. STEPHEN TAYLOR

Meeting planners are now frequently using the Web as a resource for finding site information, while the Internet has also become increasingly important on the supply side of the convention and exhibition business as a marketing tool. Meeting planners are increasing their productivity by utilizing the Internet. However, the fast growth in the popularity of the Web has resulted in a fragmented approach to digital destination marketing, particularly in the convention and exhibition sector. The purpose of this study was to investigate the existing situation in digital destination marketing and identify the overall performance and effectiveness of convention and visitors bureau (CVB)/tourist board and convention/exhibition (CE) center Websites based on the modified Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach. The findings showed both the U.S. and U.K. Websites had relative strengths and weakness even given both are considered to be leading destinations in tourism and hospitality and in Internet marketing applications. The CE center and CVB/tourist board Websites tend to be loosely integrated. Additionally, the Websites provides by CVB/tourist board contain more information for visitors and may often contribute more to confusing rather than informing and educating meeting planners. Marketing implications for destination and convention/exhibition management were presented and a future scenario for convention/exhibition marketing was discussed.

Keywords: convention and exhibition center; balanced scorecard approach; convention and visitors bureau (CVB); tourist board; website evaluation