Food Festival Exhibitors’ Business Motivation

This paper aims to present the motivation of exhibitors participating in food festivals to establish and run a business. The conducted research is an attempt to fill the gap in research on exhibitors who participate in food festivals. During three different Polish culinary festivals, 58 in-depth interviews with exhibitors were conducted. Based on the research, the main startup business motives were identified. The current goals of exhibitors’ participation in culinary festivals were also analyzed. Based on the list of motives and goals, three groups of exhibitors were distinguished with similar characteristics (starting own business, continuation of family traditions, and culinary interest). The study also takes into account the changes that have occurred between the startup’s business motives and the goals of participation in the festival (“business-business”, “business-business-business-family”, and “business-passion-passion-business”). The comparison of the initial motives for setting up a business with the current goals of participating in food festivals shows that, regardless of the initial motives, the exhibitors currently focus on business goals.