IP: 212.115.51.228 On: Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:20:43 Delivered by Ingenta Article(s) and/or figure(s) cannot be used for resale. Please use proper citation format when citing this article including the DOI, publisher reference, volume number and page location. Event Management, Vol. 22, pp. 65–78 1525-9951/18 $60.00 + .00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/152599517X15111988554008 Copyright © 2018 Cognizant, LLC. E-ISSN 1943-4308 www.cognizantcommunication.com 65 Address correspondence to David Lamb, Ph.D., Senior Academic, Edith Cowan University, School of Business and Law, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia, 6026. Tel: +61 8 6304-2663; E-mail: d.lamb@ecu.edu.au motivation. Unlike other studies in volunteer event research, where the focus is primarily on a specific event type, typically characterized by their high pro- file, large scale, global appeal, and a captive audi- ence, this study investigated events incorporating Introduction This study was designed with the intention of uncovering what it means to be a volunteer at two local Perth events with specific regard to volunteer UNCOVERING THE MOTIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF LOCALLY SOURCED VOLUNTEERS AT TWO EVENTS IN METROPOLITAN PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA DAVID LAMB AND ALFRED OGLE School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia This study sought to venture beyond the scope of previous research by examining two 2016 events that incorporated elements of different event types. The material events—the ISPS Handa Perth Inter- national golf tournament and the Telstra Perth Fashion Festival—were large-scale events with inter- national stature and appeal. Both of those events present concomitant event characteristics: the golf tournament could be labeled as a sporting event and a community event or even a corporate event, while the fashion festival could be deemed as a community event and also a form of cultural celebra- tion or possibly a business event. Notwithstanding that the events are dissimilar in terms of function and goal, the authors assert that the common defining characteristic was that the event volunteer recruitment was geographically localized using local area bounded recruitment drives. Consequently, those events were almost exclusively supported by Perth residents who identified the events as com- munity events because of their considerable contribution. This study sought the opinions and per- spectives of the volunteers of the two events with a specific focus on volunteering motivation. This research is timely given the worrying trend of diminishing rates of event volunteering due to attrition in the volunteer base. The outcomes of this study will provide event managers involved in organizing community-based events, where the focus of recruitment is on local volunteers, with more in-depth knowledge about the diversity of motivational factors brought about by the inherent heterogeneity in the volunteer base. Furthermore, insight is gained on the volunteer decision-making process and the factors volunteers take into consideration in deciding to commit themselves to an event. Key words: Community; Event; Volunteering; Motivation; Golf; Fashion