ABSTRACT
Value co-creation has been a central point for service researchers, giving rise to countless publications and perspectives on the subject. However, the perspectives dealing with understanding consumer roles and involvement in the co-creation process are not particularly incisive. Therefore, this chapter addresses resource integration, using a cultural event to provide an example context for all direct/indirect interactions between actors and events involved in the value co-creation process. It aims for detailed understanding of how and what types of resources consumers integrate throughout their customer journeys; it also analyzes how this integration influences their experiences at the event. An exploratory and interpretative approach was chosen, based on a case study of the Óbidos Christmas Town event, with the methodological objective of using the customer journey map. In data collection, a semi-structured interview technique was applied to 18 consumers attending the annual event in 2016. The results revealed that certain elements and touchpoints are fundamental to consumers, who use their resources in the co-creation process. Distinct types of behaviour are observed because consumers use different combinations of operant (cultural, physical, and social) and operand resources (monetary resources and tangible goods), based on what they value. Furthermore, all of the direct/indirect interactions between actors and touchpoints at the event result in the integration of resources and fundamental processes of value co-creation. By taking these factors into consideration, organizations can manage to produce better results through the various phases of the consumer experience, in terms of using innovations and producing consumer satisfaction.
