Mystery visitor as a research method of trade show performance

The goal of this paper is to present a research method used during trade shows, which is commonly named as a mystery visitor, and in particular to identify its unique characteristics and the conditions under which correct results may be achieved. The authors used to one of the variants of participant observation, which is mystery visitor, as a research method. This method was used during the MAPIC – the world’s largest retail real estate business trade show. Mystery visitor method can be used to examine in detail various phenomena existing in exhibitors’ activities and to assess a general level of customer service during a particular trade show. The observation based on the mystery visitor method, carried out during trade shows, which is properly conducted can provide numerous benefits for both exhibitors and exhibition event organisers. The mystery visitor research method has not been presented in the marketing literature yet. This paper fill in the existing gap, in particular, by indicating characteristics of that method. The paper points out how to effectively use the mystery visitor method in practice in order to assess trade show performance.