From Interviews to Interpretation: Utilizing Delphi Method to Assess Content Validity of Sports Event Factors and their Impact on Extending the Tourism Season in Greece

Abstract

Running tourism is regarded as one of the most rapidly growing sectors within the sport tourism industry worldwide. This is particularly true in Greece, where running events have increased in popularity. The specific objectives of this study were to assess the content validity of the key factors that influence the organizational process of sporting events, particularly running events, from the perspectives of Greek running event organizers within the framework of sustainable sport event tourism. This study uses the Delphi method to explore how these experts interpret feedback on factors influencing sport event organization in low-season period.

The Delphi process yielded a comprehensive list of factors influencing the organizational process of sporting events during the low-season period, categorized into enhancements (focused on attracting participants to stay longer through enriched experiences) and success pillars (focused on the foundations of building trust for a well-organized event in low-season period).

The findings of the current study provide valuable perspectives into how sports event experts interpret feedback, particularly regarding extending the tourism season through sport events. The identified factors and the experts' perspectives offer a comprehensive framework for understanding the specific feedback needs of sports event experts in this context.