Pop Culture, Engagement and Visitor Profiles: The Case of Comic Con - Porto 2024

(disponible en anglais seulement)

[VERSION EN PRÉPUBLICATION]

Jorge Lopes, Ana Pinto Borges, Elvira Vieira, Marco Bagheri

Jorge Lopes teaches Marketing and Communication and has done so since 1993. He holds a PhD in Business Sciences, focused on Cultural Marketing Management. He has supervised master’s research, participated in international academic events, and contributed to research teams publishing in marketing, communication, tourism, management, and events. ISAG - European Business School, Porto, Portugal and Research Center in Business Sciences and Tourism (CICET-FCVC), Porto, Portugal.
Ana Pinto Borges holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Porto and is a Coordinating Professor at ISAG and Scientific Coordinator of CICET–FCVC. She has published widely in indexed journals and books, presented internationally, supervised master’s and doctoral work, and is a founding member and editor of EJABM. ISAG - European Business School, Porto, Portugal and Research Center in Business Sciences and Tourism (CICET-FCVC), Porto, Portugal.
Elvira Vieira holds a PhD in Applied Economics and has taught since 2004. She is Dean of ISAG, Principal Coordinating Professor, and Visiting Professor at IPVC. Her research spans economics, management, tourism, innovation, and governance. She has over 100 indexed publications, extensive project leadership, and several supervised theses and dissertations. ISAG – European Business School, Porto, Portugal and Research Center in Business Sciences and Tourism (CICET - FCVC), Porto, Portugal; Applied Management Research Unit (UNIAG), Portugal; IPVC-Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
Marco Bagheri is a marketing academic and professional with international experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He is Assistant Professor at ISAG and CEO of North Star Advisors. His background includes academic and industry roles in Porto, Kuala Lumpur, and Germany in marketing, branding, and research. ISAG - European Business School, Porto, Portugal and Research Center in Business Sciences and Tourism (CICET-FCVC), Porto, Portugal.

ABSTRACT
This study investigates audience heterogeneity and loyalty formation at Comic Con Portugal 2024. Drawing on 1,686 on-site questionnaires, we identified three audience segments through K-Means clustering: Hardcore Fans (71.5%), Enthusiasts (23.5%) and Casual Visitors (5.1%), that differ significantly in socio-demographics, ticket choice and prior attendance. An ordered logistic regression shows that positive emotions, perceived social and personal enrichment, exceeded expectations and advocacy intentions markedly increase the probability of return, whereas feelings of marginalization reduce it. Segment membership plays a secondary but significant role. By integrating segmentation and loyalty modelling, this paper provides quantitative evidence that emotional and social value co-create loyalty in large-scale pop-culture events. The findings extend research on fandom participation and cultural tourism while offering actionable insights for event managers working to sustain visitor loyalty in inclusive, experiential settings. 
KEYWORDS
Comic Con; audience segmentation; visitor loyalty; pop-culture events; experience economy; cultural tourism