Theoretizing A New Sustainable Business Event: Extension of Mair and Jago Model

Abstract

The growth of the event sector is driven by increasing demand for organizing business events, which in turn leads to greater economic and social impacts. However, this growth also presents potential challenges, particularly due to the use of various event materials, transportation, and infrastructure development. As a response, organizing green events is seen as a strategic approach to mitigating environmental impact. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the issues encountered throughout the process of greening an event, using the Mair and Jago Model as a framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with event managers from six Malaysian business event companies that promote green practices during their events. The findings reveal that factors such as impact, initiative, support, and performance serve as key motivators for organizing green events. Conversely, knowledge, resources, and behavior emerged as significant barriers. Notably, two important factors deviated from the Mair and Jago Model: “impact” as a motivational element and “support” as a barrier. A key limitation of this study is its focus solely on business events. Nevertheless, since the primary goal is to explore the issues in organizing green events, it is evident that additional issues warrant investigation in different contexts and geographical areas. Being a case study, the findings are context-specific but may be generalized in terms of the theoretical insights they provide. Further research is recommended to explore broader issues in other settings and regions.