A Holistic Investigation of Special Event Volunteer Motivation

Over 1,400 food, wine, and beer festivals are held in the US annually, many of which are dependent on volunteers to provide the labor necessary once the event starts, so as to keep costs manageable. The purpose of this study was to obtain a holistic understanding of special event festival volunteer motivation. Specifically, this study utilized a survey with closed and open-ended questions to address student motivation for participating in the 2018 Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF^®). The results demonstrated that students were motivated by three factors: Purposive, External Traditions/Commitments, and Solidary. Moreover, the findings revealed that there were issues of obligation and convenience that served to demotivate individuals from participating as a volunteer for this event.