Asian J. Management; 8(2): April- June, 2017 1 ISSN 0976-495X (Print) www.anvpublication.org 2321-5763 (Online) RESEARCH ARTICLE Motivations and Performance of Exhibitors: An Exploratory Study of a Destination Marketing Event Dr. Shobha Menon, Dr. Manoj Edward 1 Associate Professor, SCMS School of Technology and Management, Cochin 2 Associate Professor, School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin *Corresponding Author E-mail: shobharesearch@gmail.com ABSTRACT: The tourism industry is going through challenging times. Innovative marketing tools are required to promote business for the firm and the destination. Trade shows have proved to be a successful destination promotion tool and is increasingly forming part of the marketing strategies in the tourism industry. The purpose of this empirical study is to identify the motivations and outcomes (trade show performance) of a destination trade show from the perspective of one of the main participants of a destination trade show i.e.exhibition attendees. Systematic sampling survey method was used during a destination trade show, Kerala Travel Mart, (KTM) 2012. Giving information on products emerged as the main motivation and developing and maintaining relationships as the second main motivation of exhibitors. Projecting an image of being a strong and solid company and fostering relationships are perceived as the most important outcomes for exhibitors. So it is evident that KTM has been a success as KTM has achieving one of the main motivations – building relationships. For quality of trade shows, quality of service and the competence of the organizers and staff were ranked the highest, followed by choice of venue.The managerial implications of these findings for destination managers, exhibition organizers and exhibitors are discussed in detail. KEY WORDS: exhibitors’ motivations and performance, trade shows, tourism, Kerala Travel Mart, destination marketing. INTRODUCTION: Motivations and Performance of Exhibitors: An Exploratory Study of a Destination Marketing Event: The marketing of places or destinations has been turned into an increasingly professionalized, highly organized and specialized industry (Lichrou, O’ Malley and Patterson, 2008). Esu and Ebitu (2010), while conceptualizing a model for the development of promotional strategies for emerging tourism destination, confirm collective and collaborative destination marketing as specific promotional strategies for emerging tourist destinations. Received on 24.11.2016 Modified on 17.12.2016 Accepted on 25.12.2016 © A&V Publications all right reserved Asian J. Management; 2017; 8(2):56-64. DOI: The importance of collaboration is reconfirmed by WTO which states, “It is increasingly difficult for businesses to survive alone. Regardless of the strategy adopted to respond to an increasingly competitive business environment, it is important to develop local partnerships to bring in complementary strengths and thereby offer an attractive product representative of the location.”(WTO, 2002). Alliance formation or collaboration is seen as a crucial determinant of enhancing a firm’s and a destination’s competitiveness. Collaboration is basically a process where individuals or firms come together to achieve a common purpose. The key to building collaborative relationships is an understanding of the processes by which those relationships can be nurtured and managed.