The entrepreneurial orientation of exhibitors and vendors at food festivals

Abstract

Celebrating food has become an increasingly visible part of local and regional calendars worldwide. The rise of food festivals represents this trend. Food festivals have gained momentum for various entrepreneurs and producers, including farmers, fishermen, food manufacturers, food accessory producers, chefs, and restaurateurs. Much research is available on visitors (consumers) at food festivals, but knowledge about producers/vendors is almost absent. This study aims to bridge this research gap by reviewing and analyzing food producers’ entrepreneurial intentions to participate in food festivals and the role and meaning of festival participation in their professional and individual development. The study is inspired by ideas about artisan entrepreneurship. It draws empirically on primary data from 58 in-depth interviews among vendors at three food festivals organized in Poland in the summer of 2020. The results show that food festivals offer creative ways to discover and exploit business opportunities where lifestyle and altruistic values can feasibly coexist with business goals. However, the study also reveals that some food producers/vendors are reluctant to change their product or marketing approaches or to redirect their entrepreneurial orientations based on the feedback received at the festivals and on the dilemmas they face. This study elaborates on the nature of such challenges and proposes policy recommendations to overcome them.