Drivers and barriers of new product development and innovation in event venues

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the role of new product development (NPD) in event venue operations by drawing on existing literature. The paper acknowledges product innovation as an under‐researched field in event venues and explores this within the context of seven diverse operations.Design/methodology/approach: Using a case study analysis methodology the research reveals a number of key findings.Findings: It is revealed that NPD is a fundamental process within event venues but takes a number of different forms, depending on the profit or non‐profit orientation of the organisation. Within this, the findings discuss the different aims, reasons and barriers of NPD.Originality/value: The paper concludes with the key issues to NPD that managers in event venues should be aware of and proposes a number of limitations and areas for future research.