UMMAN KONVANSİYON VE SERGİ MERKEZİ'NDEKİ ZİYARETÇİ MEMNUNİYETİ ÜZERİNDE EN İYİ SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİR UYGULAMALARIN ETKİSİNİN İNCELENMESİ

Öz

Bu araştırma, Umman Kongre ve Sergi Merkezi’nde (OCEC) uygulanan en iyi sürdürülebilirlik uygulamalarının ziyaretçi memnuniyeti üzerindeki etkisini incelemektedir. Çevresel sorunlara yönelik farkındalığın artmasıyla birlikte, kongre ve sergi merkezlerinden ziyaretçi deneyimini iyileştiren çevre dostu girişimleri hayata geçirmeleri giderek daha fazla beklenmektedir. Çalışma, sürdürülebilirlik girişimlerinin ziyaretçilerin içsel algılarını şekillendiren ve nihayetinde memnuniyetlerini ile davranışsal niyetlerini etkileyen birer uyarıcı işlevi gördüğünü açıklamak için Uyarıcı-Organizma-Tepki (SOR) modelini entegre etmektedir. Araştırma, pozitivizm felsefesi, açıklayıcı araştırma tasarımı ve tümdengelimci yöntem doğrultusunda nicel bir yaklaşım benimsemiştir. Birincil veriler, OCEC’i ziyaret eden 33 katılımcıya uygulanan çevrimiçi anket yoluyla toplanmış, elde edilen bulgular betimsel ve çıkarımsal analiz teknikleri ile değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular; atık yönetimi, su tasarrufu, ulaşım çözümleri ve çevre dostu malzeme kullanımı gibi sürdürülebilirlik girişimlerinin ziyaretçi memnuniyetini olumlu yönde etkilediğini, enerji verimliliği uygulamalarının ise en güçlü etkiye sahip olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Tüm uygulamalar olumlu deneyimler sağlamakla birlikte, katılımcılar özellikle dijital platformlar ve akıllı enerji çözümleri gibi alanlarda yenilikçi adımların gerekliliğine dikkat çekmiştir. Araştırma, sürdürülebilirliğin etkinlik yönetimine entegre edilmesinin yalnızca ziyaretçi memnuniyetini artırmakla kalmayıp OCEC’in bölgedeki öncü sürdürülebilir mekân konumunu da güçlendirdiği sonucuna ulaşmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kongre Merkezi
• Sürdürülebilirlik
• atık yönetimi
• enerji verimliliği
• müşteri deneyimi

EXAMINING THEINFLUENCE OF BEST SUSATINABLE PRACTICES ON THE SATISFATCION OF VISITORS AT THE OMAN CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

Öz

This research examines the influence of best sustainable practices on the satisfaction of visitors at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC). With growing awareness of environmental challenges, convention and exhibition venues are increasingly expected to implement eco-friendly initiatives that enhance visitor experience. The study integrates the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model to explain how sustainability initiatives serve as stimuli that shape visitors’ internal perceptions and ultimately influence their satisfaction and behavioural intentions. A quantitative approach was adopted, guided by positivism philosophy, an explanatory design, and a deductive method. Primary data were collected through an online survey of 33 visitors to the OCEC, and results were analysed using descriptive and inferential techniques. Findings revealed that sustainable initiatives such as waste management, water conservation, transportation solutions, and the use of eco-friendly materials positively influenced visitor satisfaction, with energy efficiency initiatives emerging as the most impactful. Although all practices contributed to favourable experiences, respondents highlighted the potential for further innovation, particularly in digital platforms and smart energy solutions. The study concludes that embedding sustainability into event management not only enhances visitor satisfaction but also strengthens the competitive positioning of OCEC as a leading sustainable venue in the region.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Convention Centre
• sustainability
• customer engagement
• sustainable practices
• waste management
• energy efficiency
• and customer experience.

Kaynakça

1. ABU FARHA, A.K., AL-KWIFI, O.S. and AHMED, Z.U., 2020. Deploying partial least squares to investigate the influence of managerial assumptions on corporate social responsibility in the hotel industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 9(3), pp.471–486.
2. ALHARAHSHEH, H. H., PIUS, A., 2020. A review of key paradigms: Positivism VS interpretivism. Global academic journal of humanities and social sciences, 2(3), pp. 39-43.
3. ARKES, J., 2023. Regression analysis: a practical introduction. Routledge.
4. BLADEN, C., KENNELL, J., ABSON, E. and WILDE, N., 2022. Events management: An Introduction. (3.rd ed.) Routledge.
5. BUONINCONTRI, P., MARASCO, A. and RAMKISSOON, H., 2017. Visitors’ experience, place attachment and sustainable behaviour at cultural heritage sites: A conceptual framework. Sustainability, 9(7), p.1112.
6. CHUI, K.T., LYTRAS, M.D. and VISVIZI, A., 2018. Energy sustainability in smart cities: Artificial intelligence, smart monitoring, and optimization of energy consumption. Energies, 11(11), p.2869.
7. Circularbusinessreview.com, 2024. OCEC: Pioneering Sustainable Event Hosting. https://www.circularbusinessreview.com/ocec-pioneering-sustainable-event-hosting/ [Accessed 24 December 2024].
8. FRANZESE, M. and IULIANO, A., 2018. Correlation analysis. In Encyclopedia of bioinformatics and computational biology: ABC of Bioinformatics (Vol. 1, pp. 706-721). Elsevier.

9. HADASSA, E., 2024. Impact of Sustainable Tourism Practices on Tourist Satisfaction in Ecotourism Destinations in Kenya. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 4(3), pp. 46-57.
10. Hitec.org, 2024. Integrating Sustainability with Guest Satisfaction. [online] Available at: https://www.hitec.org/news/4122067/integrating-sustainability-with-guest-satisfaction#:~:text=Sustainable%20hotel%20practices%20and,travellers%20loyal.&text=efficiency%2C%20energy%20savings%20by,travellers%20loyal.&text=consumption%2C%20tap%20water%20savings%2C,travellers%20loyal.&text=as%20being%20and%20operating,travellers%20loyal. [Accessed: 24 December 2024].
11. JAIN, N., 2021. Survey versus interviews: Comparing data collection tools for exploratory research. The Qualitative Report, 26(2), pp. 541-554.
12. MAKOWSKI, D., BEN-SHACHAR, M.S., PATIL, I. and LUDECKE, D., 2020. Methods and algorithms for correlation analysis in R. Journal of Open Source Software, 5(51), pp. 1-4.
13. MONTGOMERY, D.C., PECK, E.A. and VINING, G.G., 2021. Introduction to linear regression analysis. John Wiley & Sons.
14. NAKKHAM, T., and SILANOI, T., 2023. The Impact of Sustainable Exhibition Standards on Attendee Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions. KKBS Journal of Business Administration and Accountancy, 7(2), pp. 81–98.
15. NAYEBI, H. and NAYEBI, H., 2020. Multiple regression analysis. Advanced Statistics for Testing Assumed Causal Relationships: Multiple Regression Analysis Path Analysis Logistic Regression Analysis, pp. 1-46.
16. OCEC, 2024. ABOUT OCEC. [online] Available at: https://ocec.om/about [Accessed 24 December 2024].
17. Ocec. Om, 2024. For Ongoing Commitment To The Environment, Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre Wins 'Country Winner' Category In Living Business Programme 2021. [online] Available at: https://ocec.om/News/Detail/126#:~:text=According%20to%20Said%20Al,the%20environment.%E2%80%9D&text=Green%20Team%20carries%20out,the%20environment.%E2%80%9D&text=in%20terms%20of%20utilization,the%20environment.%E2%80%9D&text=award%20%E2%80%93%20which%20we,the%20environment.%E2%80%9D. [Accessed 24 December 2024].
18. OFORI, D. and OPOKU MENSAH, A., 2022. Sustainable electronic waste management among households: a circular economy perspective from a developing economy. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 33(1), pp. 64-85.
19. PANDEY, J., 2019. Deductive approach to content analysis. In Qualitative techniques for workplace data analysis (pp. 145-169). IGI Global.
20. Pvknowhow.com, 2024. OCEC Advances Sustainability with Major Solar Energy Project. [online] Available at:https://www.pvknowhow.com/advances-sustainability-major-solar-energy-project/#:~:text=The%20Oman%20Convention%20%26,electricity%20annually.&text=set%20to%20become%20a,electricity%20annually.&text=by%20installing%20a%204.6%2Dmegawatt%2Dpeak,electricity%20annually.&text=which%20is%20expected%20to,electricity%20annually. [Accessed 24 December 2024].
21. SARSTEDT, M., MOOI, E., 2019. Regression analysis. A concise guide to market research: The process, data, and methods using IBM SPSS Statistics, Springer, pp. 209-256.
22. SKINNER, E. and DANCIS, J., 2020. Descriptive and explanatory designs. Human Development Teaching & Learning Group.
23. TRIVELLIN, E., 2022. Communication and Digitization for Sustainable Event. Conference: Human Interaction and Emerging Technologies (IHIET-AI 2022) Artificial Intelligence and Future Applications. (pp. 1-9). AHFE International.