Babak Taheri, PhD student in the Department of Marketing, won a doctoral bursary from the Academy of Marketing to fund his attendance at the 9th International Colloquium on Arts, Heritage, Non-profit and Social Marketing, King's College, University of London, from September 9-10.
He presented a paper, co-authored with his supervisor Dr Karen Thompson, entitled, "Autotelic Experience: Engagement in Museum Exhibit". The paper specifically focused on cultural tourism consumption in museums, examining the main influential factors of autotelic experience, namely cultural capital, prior knowledge, intrinsic motivation and level of engagement.
The relationship between these factors and informal learning and enjoyment was explored from consumers' perspectives. Very positive feedback was received on both the proposal and presentation, with reviewers being particularly impressed by the breadth and depth of the literature, as well as the quality of the fieldwork. A special issue of the Journal of Customer Behaviour is being prepared as a result of this Academy of Marketing Special Interest Group Colloquium.