investigation, but not necessarily have been direct participants in
the event being studied or even users of your product. The reasons
theydo notparticipate may be more enlightening than the reasons
others do. In a relaxed atmosphere without the distractions of tele-
phones or entertainment, the group focuses on your issues under
the guidance of a facilitator.
The facilitator must also have knowledge of the topic in ques-
tion, but should enter without a preconceived agenda or objective.
Rather, the facilitator is responsible for keeping the discussions on
topic, maintaining order, and deriving conclusions, whatever they
may be. Recording of the discussions is often done with video-
tapes, audiotapes, or, at the very least, written transcriptions and
flipchart notes.
The focus group deliberations may take an hour or a day, de-
pending on the extent and complexity of the issues. The impor-
tant point here is that plenty of time should be allowed for the ob-
jectives to be accomplished. The pressure of the clock is the greatest
threat to generating thoughtful deliberations and meaningful
consensus.
Observation/Participation
This research strategy requires alertness, consumption of time,
and human interaction. For example, as a marketer of an event,
you may want to visit the prospective venue to get a “feel for the
place” in order to more graphically describe it in your marketing
materials. Casual discussions with employees or locals will be ef-
fective gauges of the degree of interest in your event. Simply ob-
serving the levels of service being provided may directly improve
the planning process by identifying potential problems that may
be avoided for your event. How long is the line at the registration
desk? How easy, or difficult, is it to park a car? How crowded is
the coffee shop at the height of the breakfast hour? What are the
general attitudinal levels of the staff and the quality of their ser-
vice? What are the standards of housekeeping and the condition
of the physical plant and surroundings? Become the detective.
Scrutinize everything. Copious note taking and laser alertness are
essential during this process.
While managing and marketing a major national convention, I
would take time to visit every seminar room, a total of 65 semi-
nars during a three-day period. I would count heads and compare
the total to the total room capacity. I would observe the body
Research and Analysis 25