Segmentation of Participants in a Sports Event Using Cluster Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the segmentation of participants in a sports event according to their perceived quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and future intentions, in order to better understand how each user profile behaves. The sample was made up of 195 participants of a marathon aged between 18 and 65 and the instrument for collecting information consisted of a questionnaire structured in four blocks referring to their participation in popular races, their sports habits, and their opinions according to the aforementioned variables. Using SPSS version 25, frequencies and percentages were analyzed to find out respondents’ opinions. Subsequently, a cluster analysis was carried out to obtain information on how the clusters created from the variables under study aforementioned are distributed. The results of the hierarchical cluster analysis allow us to conclude that there are two differentiated groups of participants that have been called Non-Conformists and Conformists, characterized by having low average ratings and high ratings, respectively. These groups show significant differences in their opinion about perceived quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and future intentions, providing useful information to organizers, to better understand their opinions, better manage events, and better handle variables that are key to business success.