A Cognitive–Affective Positioning Analysis of Convention Cities: An Extension of the Circumplex Model of Affect

Abstract

This study investigates relative images and positions of select US convention cities as perceived by association meeting planners. Based on a cognitive–affective framework, it utilizes a perceptual mapping technique and controls direct experiences of the meeting planners with the convention cities. Data were collected from randomly selected members of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) about Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Orlando. For each city, no image difference was found between the planners who had direct experience and those who did not. The findings suggested that the convention cities should use both cognitive and affective evaluations in developing a positioning strategy because they provide a picture from different angles and complement each other. The joint perceptual map also helps identify major and minor competitors. The findings also demonstrated that the circumplex model of affect holds for, and can be applied to, domestic and well-known convention cities. The study also extends the model in the sense that it examines places (cities), cognitive evaluations, and affective responses simultaneously and still finds support for the theorized structure of the model. The study provides implications for positioning, communication, and/or product development strategies for the convention cities, and discusses future research.