Emotion, Memory and Re-collective Value : Shared Festival Experiences

Purpose This study explores how emotionally rich collective experiences create lasting shareable memories which influence future behaviours. In particular the role of others and of music in creating value through memories is considered using the concept of socially extended emotions Methodology Over 250 narratives were gathered from festival attendees in the UK and Finland. Respondents completed a writing task detailing their most vivid memories, what made them memorable, their feelings at the time and as they remembered, and how they shared these. The narratives were then analysed thematically. Findings Collective emotion continues to be co-created long after the experience through memory-sharing. The music listened to threads through this extension but is, surprisingly, not a critical part of it. The sociality of the experience is remembered most and was key to the memories shared afterwards. The added value of gathering memorable moments and being able to share them with others is clearly evidenced. Practical implications The study highlights the importance of designing-in collective emotional moments to form lasting memories. This emphasises the role of post-experience marketing and customer relationship building to enhance the value created customer-to-customer via memory sharing Originality Our research addresses the lack of literature exploring post-event experience journeys and the collective nature of these. It also deepens theoretical understanding of the role of time and sociality in the co-creation and extension of emotions and the value of this in hospitality consumption. A model is proposed to guide future research.