Roll up, roll up! The effect of social crowding on consumer enjoyment of special event entertainment

Abstract

This study is based on the context of special event entertainment (SEE) at the shopping centre environment. SEE consists of free entertainment events that are typically consumed by a mass of people in one location at one point in time, and for the purpose of enjoyment and pleasure (for example, school holiday entertainment, fashion shows, celebrity appearances, and community events) (Ng, Russell-Bennett & Dagger 2007, Sit, Merrilees & Birch 2003). Hence, a key characteristic of SEE is social crowding (Ng et al. 2007). The main purpose of this study is to examine the possible positive effect of social crowding on consumer enjoyment with SEE. In this study, the results reveal that not only social crowding can have a positive effect on consumer enjoyment with SEE but it can also have a positive effect on their shopping behaviour. Contributions to marketing theory and practice are discussed.