Factors Affecting Satisfaction of Participants in Trade Fairs: The Case of trade fair organized by Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association

Abstract

Business take part in various trade fairs among other with the aim to showcase their product or service quality to potential users, create contact with suppliers and to know more about the existing technologies and their competitors. However, their continuous participation on similar events depends on their level of satisfaction. Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce continues organizing international trade fairs every year. Accordingly, this study was carried out with the aim of assessing factors affecting Participant’ satisfaction during participation in a trade fair organized by Ethiopian chamber. It will lead to identify mechanisms needed to be employed to handle factors affecting participant’ satisfaction and highlights on the promotion mix needed to be deployed in the process of organizing an effective trade fair. In order to undertake the research the target population used comprises participants from the Ethiopian Chamber trade fair organized at the exhibition center in the year 2022. Per the participant's record of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce International Trade Fair for the year 2022 the local companies participants are 80 companies. In order to look for relationship between and among data groups descriptive and inferential analysis are used on the processed data. This study was conducted by defining dependent and independent variables. The dependent variable was participant satisfaction whereas the independent variables were information, place, facilities services, a variety of products, quality of products. Regarding correlation analysis, the dependent and independent variables were associated with each other. In similar fashion, the study sought to establish how the dimension of participant satisfaction would influence exhibitor satisfaction using multiple linear regression analysis. The scopes were: information, place, welfare facilities services, a variety of products and quality of products. The results indicate that among the dimension, information followed by place and facilities services and quality of products would have most influence on exhibitor’s satisfaction. It is recommended that Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce should work in a coordinated manner on the factors influencing exhibition participants’ satisfaction when organizing trade fairs and further detail studies should be conducted on the individual factors influencing participant’s satisfaction.