Edinburgh Napier University

  Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to illuminate how the strategic decisions a visitor attraction (VA) makes in relation to how it handles weddings or corporate functions on site will have a direct affect on what “work process knowledge” (WPK) an employee will need.

Design/methodology/approach
– The qualitative research design was comparative case studies of the work processes and knowledge within six Scottish VAs, based on a social constructivist framework. Data were gathered using the methods of key informant interviews and shadowing.

Findings
– “Rich and thick” description illustrates the issues arising from using a VA as a wedding or function venue, highlighting the WPK workers require to convert the site between the two functions.

Research limitations/implications
– Although cross‐site commonalities of the six cases validate the findings, a broader survey of a greater number of VAs would be beneficial, as would a review of how WPK has subsequently evolved in VAs, especially in relation to events.

Practical implications
– WPK is an attitude, commitment and understanding at an overview level, incorporating a strong element of strategy as well as individual tasks. The event organiser is shown how developing WPK in staff can contribute to success.

Originality/value
– To date this is the first study of WPK in relation to VAs and certainly in relation to events. To academics, it represents an original contribution to the theory of WPK and for practitioners enhances management understanding for improving event delivery.