Le dimensioni dell’entertainment nei Centri Commerciali: ipotesi di ricerca e prime riflessioni empiriche

The paper addresses the issue of entertainment in the context of Shopping Centers. Starting from the existing literature, the first part is aimed at clarifying the concept of entertainment and at analyzing the most popular entertainment activities. Three main categories are discussed: atmospheric-based entertainment, recreational service-based entertainment and special event-based entertainment. A distinction between hyper-realistic events and mediterranean events is also proposed. In the second part of the paper, we describe and discuss the results of an exploratory and qualitative survey, carried out through direct interviews with the management of ten Italian Shopping Centers, in order to investigate the features of entertainment activities managed within them and to evaluate, in a preliminary way, the significance of the research hypotheses identified in the work. Findings suggest the decreasing effectiveness of entertainment strategies related to the exclusive use of atmospherics and recreational services (which tend to characterize the basic tenat-mix of many Shopping Center) as well as the lower effectiveness of those forms of entertainment based on spectacular and impersonal events, in favor of less standardized events characterized by higher level of customer engagement, socialization and active participation of customers in the value creation process. Final results of this research will provide useful knowledge to support the managers of Shopping Centers in identifying and managing entertainment strategies more consistent with the specific context where they operate.