Participant Spending at Sporting Events: An Examination of Survey Methodologies

Through this study the authors examine the differences between direct spending reported through in person surveys administered during a sporting event and post event online surveys. The event was a participant oriented individual running event. The overall purpose of the study was to identify and examine potential differences between the “during event” data collection methods and “post event” data collection methods. Subjects for the study were participants in a mid-sized 14-kilometer running event held in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Results showed that direct spending figures were significantly higher for the “during event” in person survey respondents when compared to direct spending figures for the “post event” online survey respondents.