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Tourism & Culture · GMN-CS-2026-009

B2B Brand Co-Creation and Country-of-Origin Influence within the Servicescape: Insights from Katara Cultural Village, Qatar

A Case in Country of Origin and Value Co-Creation

By Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti

This case study investigates the influence of servicescape elements—physical components such as ambient conditions, spatial arrangement and symbolic artifacts, and social components such as interactions among employees, tourists and corporate partners—on value co-creation within the Katara Cultural Village.

  • Qatar, 2022–2024
  • MBA, DBA, Doctoral Seminar
  • B2B Brand Management – Qatar Edition

Situated on Doha’s waterfront, Katara Cultural Village hosts over 1,500 events a year and attracts millions of visitors. The case treats it as a strategic B2B brand platform for cultural diplomacy, corporate engagement and co-branded innovation, grounded in Servicescape Theory and Service-Dominant Logic.

The challenge

By 2022 visitor numbers were rising, but engagement quality, satisfaction and the depth of B2B brand partnerships varied. Most events cast visitors as passive spectators; the layout, signage and climate comfort hindered engagement despite the architecture’s acclaim; and sustainability initiatives were not woven into the experience of visitors and partners.

The strategy

The proposed solution combines four perspectives – Servicescape Theory, the Social Servicescape Framework, Service-Dominant Logic and the integration of sustainability and innovation – into a co-creation model in which visitors, artisans, partner brands and employees create cultural, experiential and economic value together.

The solution

Katara introduced shaded pathways, interactive art spaces and intelligent signage, using sustainable materials and passive cooling; trained frontline staff in cross-cultural communication and emotional intelligence; launched the Katara Co-Create App for visitor ideas; and added recycling stations, QR-code guides and collaborative eco-art displays.

The outcome

According to the working paper cited in the case, within twelve months repeat visits rose 22%, local artisan sales 18% and the visitor satisfaction index 23%, energy consumption fell 17%, and Katara received the Green Destination Label (2024). The Co-Create App gathered over 3,000 suggestions in six months, a quarter of which were adopted.

Learning objectives

  • Apply Servicescape Theory and the Social Servicescape Framework to a destination that functions as a B2B brand platform.
  • Explain value co-creation through Service-Dominant Logic and identify the resource integration it requires.
  • Analyze how country-of-origin effects operate at the level of a place rather than a product.
  • Evaluate the mechanism by which sustainability investment converts into economic performance.
  • Assess the methodological strength of the reported findings and specify what would strengthen them.

Case GMN-CS-2026-009, prepared for Global Marketing Nexus as part of the B2B Brand Management Case Studies Collection, Qatar Edition. Written entirely from publicly available sources; it has not been reviewed or endorsed by Katara Cultural Village. Prepared as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. © 2026 Global Marketing Nexus.

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