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Collaborative Consumption and the meetings and event profession: Are we ready for it?

David L Jones, PhD

Associate Professor

School of Hotel and Tourism Management

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

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What I’ll Cover

Defining Collaborative Consumption (CC)

Background on the growth CC – Hospitality industry examples

Meeting Professionals– Third parties – Independent meeting professional – target of CC

Research objectives

Proposed research methodology – Establishing key constructs related to success

Contribution

Collaborative Consumption

Definition– Collaborative Consumption describes the rapid explosion in swapping,

sharing, bartering, trading and renting being reinvented through the latest technologies and peer-to-peer marketplaces in ways and on a

scale never possible before(www.collabortiveconsumption.com)

– Originated in Mainland China with the tuangou (Zheng, 2011)– Also called “sharing economy” or “meshing”

Types (Botsman & Rogers 2011)– Product-service systems enable products like DVDs, cars, books or

homes to be rented;– Redistribution markets are exchanges for used items including

clothing;– Collaborative living services broker relationships for individuals with

service providers.

Collaborative Consumption

Definition– Collaborative Consumption describes the rapid explosion in swapping,

sharing, bartering, trading and renting being reinvented through the latest technologies and peer-to-peer marketplaces in ways and on a

scale never possible before(www.collabortiveconsumption.com)

– Originated in Mainland China with the tuangou (Zheng, 2011)– Also called “sharing economy” or “meshing”

Types (Botsman & Rogers 2011)– Product-service systems enable products like DVDs, cars, books or

homes to be rented;– Redistribution markets are exchanges for used items including

clothing;– Collaborative living services broker relationships for individuals

with service providers.

Collaborative Consumption in Hospitality

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More Specifics

Airbnb that offers rooms for sell by individuals, mostly in their own homes and apartments, to other travelers/visitors to the city

Zipcar, an alternative to rental car companies and car ownership where you essentially borrow a car for an hour or more at a time

Munchery that provides gourmet meals prepared by personal chefs you can take home or even have delivered and they have a group catering option

Airbnb Growth - Internationally

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Meeting & Event Related Networks Are they alternatives for launching CC?

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Skillshare (www.skillshare.com)

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i-Meet (www.i-meet.info)

Online community for people who plan meetings and eventsWhere all "the magic" happens. Connect with thousands of meeting, events and corporate travel membersParticipate in online discussion groups (or start your own)Share your photos, videos and blog about you particular service in our industry All for free.

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Professional Meeting & Event Outsourcing

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Third Parties in Meeting Planning & Procurement

Experiant– Formerly known as Conferon– Began in 70’s– “Perfecting the event experience”

Helms Briscoe– “Meeting procurement” – Affiliation in Mainland China

Conference Direct – Corporate focus– “Meeting and conference solutions”

Need to have outside expertise/outsourcing, especially internationally

Independent Meeting Planners

Target for CC

% and growth (Toh, Dekay & Yates, 2005; Sturken 2012)– 13% of all planners

Part-time responsibility

Competing against the third parties for specialized services

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Previous Research

11%10%

18%

27%22%

32%

43%45%

57%

49%53%

67%(Licensed drivers only)

% Likely

Home or vacation sharing programs

Car sharing programs

Media sharing programs

55 years or more45-54 years18-34 years 35-44 years

Millennials Embrace Sharing Economy – ZipCar Study

How likely are you to participate in each of the following sharing programs?

Asked only in 2011

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Previous Research – Cross-cultural

No published academic research in CC yet– Master’s thesis (Zheng 2011)– Compared impact of CC between Mainland

Chinese to USA – sample too small

Technology readiness and likelihood of use of it (Elliott, Meng & Hall, 2008)– Chinese less likely

Mainland China – most engage country in the world in terms of social media (Thraenhart, 2011)

Other Possible Research Areas to Explore

Information search

Gen Y preferences

Social media

Technology acceptance

Research ObjectivesCC Platform for Convention & Event Outsourcing

What is the likelihood for usage of a CC platform by Generation Y future meeting & event professionals?

What are the factors/constructs that will affect success in developing a CC platform for meting & event professional services and/or outsourcing?

Are there cross-culturally differences in the factors/constructs that will affect the success of a CC platform and/or its structure?

Methodology

Qualitative– Constructs not well defined– Cross-cultural aspects

University students in convention and event management– US, Mainland China and Hong Kong

Follow-up quantitative study

Potential Constructs Related to Success

Trust

Individualism/collectivism

Entrepreneurial inclination

Attitude toward sharing

Motivations for participation

Technology acceptance

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Contribution

Academic– Define the constructs– Establish cross-cultural differences

Industry– Create a model for launching a CC platform

for meeting & event outsourcing in Mainland and/or USA

– Expand on existing – i-Meet?