How to evaluate dircom? The case of Ibero-American fair organizations affiliated with AFIDA

Abstract

The article presents a case study on the perception and evaluation parameters of communication management by general directors of trade fair organizations affiliated with the International Association of Trade Fairs of America AFIDA, which brings together more than fifty organizations in Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

A bibliographical review of various theories, models, and studies on the measurement and evaluation of communication was carried out. The emphasis has been placed on publications made in the present century with the aim of identifying and parameterizing how to measure, evaluate and assess communication management.

The studies and proposals made in the present century were analyzed, focusing on whether there is a clear methodology to measure communication, and the interest in measurement. The state of strategic communication in the professional field, the characteristics of excellent communication, and the follow-up to the key aspects of the profession have been examined. Trends, roles and best practices of the profession, budgets, and functions of communication measurement and evaluation.

In addition, several substantial inputs for communication management and evaluation have been identified as the Barcelona principles which have been reissued and updated twice.  The framework for monitoring communication that presents several levels of impact for the measurement and evaluation of communication. The culture of active listening to stakeholders recommended by the Melbourne Mandate. In recent years, new contributions have been made, such as the Integrated Evaluation Framework, the global model of public relations and communication and several strategic communication impact indicators, among others.

With this information, the proposal of components for the measurement and evaluation of strategic communication management was constructed as a theoretical contribution, consisting of twenty variables grouped into six components: management function of communication, diagnostic research, approach to objectives, results to be obtained, evaluation methods and results report. Each of them represents a parameter that allows self-assessment and determination of whether the communication management of an organization reaches the strategic level.

The proposal Components of the measurement and evaluation of strategic communication management, represents the theoretical basis on which the case study of the present investigation is carried out, which has as objectives to know the perception and the evaluation parameters of the management of the communication from the perspective of the general directors of the fair organizations affiliated to the International Association of Fairs of America, Spain and Portugal AFIDA.

The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with directors of trade fair organizations that are or have been members of AFIDA's board of directors and who attended the 51st Latin American Congress of the Trade Fair and Convention Industry, held in Bogota in April 2022. A survey was also applied to the remaining CEOs attending the congress.

The information-gathering instruments included questions regarding to the influence and competence of the communication directors, department budget, alignment of communication objectives, results to be obtained, evaluation methods, and communication results reports.

The most relevant results show that the directors' perception of communication management is more operational than strategic, the main function of the communication director is to advise top management, communication objectives have little alignment with organizational objectives and there is a weakness on the part of the Dircoms to manage and include organizational and financial indexes in the reports.