Predicting Participation Intention in Running Events: The Role of Event Personality and Participants’ Satisfaction

Although the number of participants in mass participation sporting events has increased lately, the competition among events has intensified. Therefore, event organizers should understand the factors related to customers' satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships among event personality, satisfaction from event participation, and participants’ behavioral intentions. The sample of the study consisted of 160 (n=160) individuals who participated in the 21st Kalamata Race. The results of the structural equation model analysis revealed that the ‘Excitement’ and ‘Sincerity’ dimensions of event personality contributed to the prediction of satisfaction, while the ‘Excitement’ and ‘Competence’ dimensions and satisfaction predicted participants’ behavioral intentions. In addition, the ‘Excitement’ dimension contributed to the prediction of participants’ behavioral intentions, also indirectly, through satisfaction. The theoretical and practical implications of the study’s results were discussed.