Provide complementary expertise

Due to the complexity, broad scope of expertise, and budget and personnel requirements involved in staging a marathon, event organizers typically rely on inputs from various event stakeholders to ensure every promised element in the marathon can be delivered to the participants. Such inputs complement resources and expertise provided by other involved actors and collectively they enable the value propositions proposed initially by the event organizers. It is in this sense that event stakeholders and event organizers interact and cocreate value propositions, which form the basis for value cocreation.

For marathons in general, such complementary expertise involves logistics such as providing race timing and refreshment for runners. For example, a watch manufacturer may possess the expertise in setting up timing devices for a marathon. Similarly, a beverage company serves as a natural partner to provide refreshment drinks to runners. Complementary expertise also involves relevant knowledge and skills that ensure runners a smooth marathon running experience. For example, Tokyo Marathon relies on multi-lingual volunteers to support non-Japanese runners from the start line to the finish, including related events such as the Marathon Expo and the Friendship Run. In this research, event stakeholders of Tohoku Food Marathon provided complementary expertise to the event organizers in the following ways.

(1) Event logistics prepared specifically for international participants

Some of the event stakeholders possessed special expertise that complemented services offered by the event organizers. Take the event entry system for international participants as an example. The entry system provider for Tohoku Food Marathon supported the event operation in terms of technical (entry system) expertise and financial (sponsor fee) contributions.

The entry system was available in English and Chinese, allowing easy access for most international participants of Tohoku Food Marathon. Moreover, the system provider aimed to market its entry system as a one-stop platform for international participants to sign up for different sports events held in Japan. On the one hand, being listed on the entry site benefited Tohoku Food Marathon in terms of increased international publicity because the service provider was well known among runners in Taiwan and Hong Kong. On the other hand, it also

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benefited the entry site because of the increased choices for their customers and the revenue generated from international participants’ registration through their site.

(2) Communicate value propositions to international participants

Through various marketing communication channels, the event organizers usually take the main role and responsibility in communicating value propositions to domestic and international participants. However, it is not uncommon for event stakeholders to share this role and responsibility. Take Tokyo Metro as an example, the premier partner of Tokyo Marathon, who communicated the value propositions of Tokyo Marathon by showing posters and TV commercials in its trains and stations. Similarly, several event stakeholders of Tohoku Food Marathon helped communicating value propositions by putting up event posters, website banners and hyperlinks, with the purpose to show their involvement and support of the event.

Despite their efforts, the reach of these marketing communications was often confined to the domestic market due to resource constraints and insufficient incentives. An exception to that was evidenced by the international marketing efforts of a travel agency, which belongs to the same corporate group as the entry system provider mentioned in the previous section.

Based in Taiwan, the travel agency designed and sold tour packages of Tohoku Food Marathon (Photo 3-1) to its Taiwanese customers. To achieve sales success, they engaged with international participants by utilizing their local network in Taiwan. Their marketing efforts included online communications through their website and Facebook page, as well as face-to-face communications in a promotion event at the Taipei Marathon Expo (Photo 3-2).

Photo 3-1 Brochure and leaflet of the Tohoku Food Marathon tour package (Photograph by the author. December 16, 2016)

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Photo 3-2 Promotion booth of Tohoku Food Marathon at Taipei Marathon Expo (Photograph by the author. December 16, 2016)

(3) Event programs that require specific licenses or permits

Another complementary expertise involved event programs (services and side events) that require specific licenses or permits. Since the mission of Tohoku Food Marathon is closely related to post-earthquake recovery of Tohoku Region, organizing optional tours that take participants to see the current situation of earthquake-affected area provides an ideal complement to other elements in its value propositions. Under the Travel Agency Act of Japan, selling package tours is regulated and only registered tour operators with a relevant permit are allowed to operate their business. A qualified tour operator that was also a sponsor of Tohoku Food Marathon took on the responsibility and collaborated with event organizers to plan and execute the optional tours. The tour operator obtained business opportunities, and the event organizers were able to construct a more appealing value propositions by offering optional tours to participants.

Similarly, the staging of Sake Festival as a side event of Tohoku Food Marathon required not only expertise in sake, but also a license to sell sake at designated locations. A local sake vendor with the required license took on the role of gathering sake brands from all six prefectures in Tohoku to be featured in the Sake Festival.

(4) Bilingual volunteers who support international participants

While general volunteers assisted in a wide range of event logistics from preparing the food to providing information, some job functions required specific expertise such as English interpreting to support international participants. During the optional tours, bilingual interpreter

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volunteers were available to provide interpretation. During the Sake Festival, bilingual volunteers with sake sommelier qualification were staffed at the venue to help sake brewers communicate with international participants.