Literature Topic：Selection attributes of wedding banquet venues: An exploratory study of Hong Kong prospective wedding couplesBackground/Setting The wedding banquet market has undoubtedly been expanding in recent years. According to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (HKCSD), the number of marriages has been on the increase since 2002, and reached 47 500 in 2007 (HKCSD, 2008).The increase in high-priced banquet activity, such as wedding events, has contributed to the outstanding growth in the overall profits of hotel food and beverage departments in the United States (Adler and Chien, 2004). In another study conducted also in the United States, Marsan (2000) indicates that almost 70% of the food and beverage revenue of hotels is generated by banquets, of which 50% comes from weddings.A recent survey conducted by ESDlife, a publicprivate partnership e-platform, reveals that each couple iswilling to spend around US$15 900 on the wedding banquet alone (ESDlife, 2007). The wedding banquet business represents a turnover of US$755 million each year in Hong Kong.Despite the significant contribution of the wedding business to the hospitality industry in general and the food service sector in particular, the existing hospitality and tourism literature has virtually no published studies of couple behavior with regard to banquet venue selection.Literature ReviewNot mention.Subject or ProblemTo fill this gap, this research makes an initial attempt to investigate the perception of prospective wedding couples in Hong Kong of the importance of venue selection attributes. To provide recommendations to the banquet managers of hotels and Chinese restaurants, this research examines the extrinsic and intrinsic personal attributes that influence the decision making of couples. Through developing a proposed model, this study also investigates the relationship between the selection of a wedding banquet venue and the demographic characteristics of prospective wedding couples to determine the influence of these characteristics on purchasing behavior.PurposeUnderstanding how couples select their wedding banquet venue can provide banquet managers of hotels or Chinese restaurants with up-to-date market segment information for the effective implementation of different marketing approaches.Value or StructureUnderstanding how couples select their wedding banquet venue can provide banquet managers of hotels or Chinese restaurants with up-to-date market segment information for the effective implementation of different marketing approaches.Structure is not mentioned.Translation of Introduction of The Paper：作为中式婚礼的重要组成部分，婚宴一般在专门的宴会设施上举行。这是一个精心设计的、高花销的场所，新人在这里宣告彼此喜结良缘，同时也回馈亲朋好友的善意祝福。传统意义上来说，作为邀请众多宾客参与的一项私人事件，婚宴是在婚礼或前往政府婚姻机构完成注册手续和领取结婚证后举办的（Choi，2002）。不可置否，婚宴市场在近几年确实有所拓展。据统计处（简称HKCSD）的资料显示，自2002年以来，婚姻数量不断增长，截止2007年已达到47,500例（HKCSD，2008）。婚宴对新人来说是最大的一笔婚礼开支，而中餐厅及酒店宴会厅则是最受欢迎的婚宴场地。高价位宴会活动的需求增多对美国酒店餐饮部门的整体利润的显著增长贡献不少，如婚宴的举办（Adler and Chien，2004）。美国的一项研究也表明，至少70%的酒店餐饮利润来自于宴会活动，而其中又有50%的宴会活动是出于婚宴的需求（Marsan，2000）。据由香港旅游发展局（简称HKTB）编写的香港酒店业摘要所称，香港酒店餐饮部门的利润自2003年到2007年稳定增长至11.6亿美元（1美元=7.8港币），相当于整体酒店利润的30%（HKTB，2004，2005，2006，2007，2008）。由公私合营的电子平台ESDlife近年来所主持的调查显示，仅在婚宴这一项目开支上，平均每对新人愿意花费15,900美元（ESDlife，2007）。 每年在香港，婚宴业务的营业额就达到了7.55亿美元。为了在这片高利润市场上获得足够的吸引力，宴会经理不断推陈出新，为准新人提供多种套餐，包括特别的额外服务例如婚宴当晚的免费套房、为宾客提供足够的停车场地、到处美丽的鲜花装饰等。了解新人如何选择他们的婚宴场所可以为酒店或中餐厅的宴会经理提供最新的市场信息，以用于针对不同市场渠道的策略的有效执行。尽管婚宴业务对酒店服务业特别是餐饮服务方面有极大的贡献，但现今酒店服务和旅游的文献著作少有关于新人选择宴会场所的行为研究。为弥补这一空白，本文旨在研究香港的准新人在选择场地的过程对于场地各项属性的重要性看法。了解内外部的个人属性在新人决策过程中的影响力度，为酒店或中餐厅的宴会经理提供有一定针对性的建议。本文将通过拟建模型的提出，根据对准新人的人口特征与他们所选择的婚宴场地之间的关系来推断它们在消费行为中的影响。Introduction of The Paper：The wedding reception is a focal part of any Chinese wedding, and is customarily held at a banquet facility. It is an elaborate and expensive occasion that serves as a public proclamation of the couples marriage and a return on the kindness of all of their relatives and guests. Traditionally, the wedding banquet, a private event with as many guests invited as possible, is held after the ceremony or the signing of the marriage certificate at the Government Marriage Registrar (Choi, 2002). The wedding banquet market has undoubtedly been expanding in recent years. According to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (HKCSD), the number of marriages has been on the increase since 2002, and reached 47 500 in 2007 (HKCSD, 2008). Chinese restaurants and hotel ballrooms are the most popular venues for the banquet, which is the greatest wedding expense for the couple. The increase in high-priced banquet activity, such as wedding events, has contributed to the outstanding growth in the overall profits of hotel food and beverage departments in the United States (Adler and Chien, 2004). In another study conducted also in the United States, Marsan (2000) indicates that almost 70% of the food and beverage revenue of hotels is generated by banquets, of which 50% comes from weddings. According t