Nicholson and Pearce (2001) used a different methodology to examine
motivations through the use of an open-ended question: “Why did you
attend this event?” Their comparative study examined four different South
Island events in New Zealand in order to assess whether there were differences
between the motivations of visitors to attend certain types of events,
or if there were common event motivations. The four events that were examined
were the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival; the Warbirds over Wanaka;
the Marlborough Wine, Food, and Music Festival; and the New Zealand Gold
Guitar Awards. The Gold Guitar Awards was the only one with a focus on
music and, therefore, was the most relevant to this study.