Unpacking technological and interpersonal interaction on value co-creation and outcomes in trade show: A dyadic examining view

The purpose of this research was to delineate the value co-creation at trade shows from a dyadic perspective of service ecosystems by exploring the effects of technological interaction, interpersonal interaction, and value co-creation at the attendee level, on trade show performance, satisfaction, and intention to exhibit again at the exhibitor level. Analysing data from 639 exhibitor–attendee dyads in China, the propositions were examined using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Several meaningful findings were generated: (1) Both technological interaction and interpersonal interaction significantly affect attendees' value co-creation activities; (2) Technological rather than interpersonal interaction directly influences exhibitors' trade show performance; (3) Value co-creation partially mediates the effect of technological interaction, whereas fully mediates interpersonal interaction on trade show performance. This study contributes to the literature on trade show marketing by empirically examining exhibitor–attendee dyads at the micro level within service ecosystems. This revelation can help establish trade show management and marketing strategies for exhibitors and organisers.