The Emerging Smart Event Experience: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The use of ‘Special Events’ as an attractor for destinations in the Smart Tourism paradigm has been suggested as one element of an effective destination strategy. This study aimed to create new understandings of this potentiality by exploring an event from a participant perspective in Smart Tourism contexts. The authors conducted 5 online focus groups using Facebook secret groups to engage spectators of an international sports event. Discussions focused on the digital event experience with particular reference to the event app. A subsequent Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) facilitated the examination of how people make sense of this digital phenomenon and the impact on the overall event experience. Fi ndings demonstrate an increasing demand for real-time event integrative information, with more immersive and augmented experiences often sought by users. This has significant implications for the management of the digital event experience for all event stakeholders. The study therefore, meets a critical gap in existent literature by providing the first event experience model in a smart tourism context. presenting the interlocking elements through the 4 P’s and the 7 R’s of digital event experience.