Art as a strategic element for innovation in gastronomic experiential services

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to evidence the importance of art professionals’ participation in experiential innovation processes, in particular for the gastronomic experiential services, likewise their support to maintain companies at the vanguard in a market of experiences. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected, in the first phase, through an elaborated questionnaire. In the second phase, a list of companies is created, based on the qualification that users give to the category “creative gastronomy”, in different online portals of restoration. Findings The authors found that art professionals are a strategic and differentiating element for companies that want to break away from the market and increase their revenues. The third part of the interviewed companies that innovate in services experience processes are conformed by multidisciplinary teams, some of the companies take into account the coalition of art professionals with kitchen professionals. This coalition has allowed the companies to increase its billing, stay at the vanguard of the market and more important to maintain their gastronomic experiences services. Research limitations/implications One of the main obstacles for conducting this research was observed when carrying out the surveys, as the concept of “team” in the studied sector is not understood as part of the daily administration. Practical implications The teams that have made this coalition type, and those that have teams of other specialized professional profiles, have increased their sales through the creation of gastronomical experiences. However, in this research, it is observed that, the companies that combine their teams and do a co-design work and co-development idea have been able to stay at the vanguard of the service and considerably increase their billing. Social implications Human resources, with their respective competitions, abilities, techniques and knowledge, are the fundamental base in this type of service. The creation of strategic relationships with other companies or individuals, for either managerial alliances or recruitment and disposition of multidisciplinary teams at the internal level, could be more natural and generate new business opportunities. Originality/value The contribution of the paper focuses on the analysis about art professionals’ (artists) role at the time companies decide to sell sensations and emotions to a new consumer profile.