Author(s): DONG FANG, J., TENG, P.Y., TENG, P.C., LU, Y.F., Institution: SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY (TAIWAN), Country: TAIWAN, Abstract-ID: 482

Introduction
The only 24-hour Ultra marathon hosted on campus in the world is the Soochow University in Taiwan hosting for over 20 years. Understanding the impact of hosting international events is utmost important for knowing the impact it can have for the university. This study examines the impact of brand loyalty of Soochow University international Ultra Marathon on key related variables in behavior of spectatorships that are either university alumni, students staff and anyone who participated in the event. Participants association with the university plays a serious part for the university brand. A strong brand image fosters their perceived value, their attitude toward the university and their loyalty to the university, especially a place for education, interdisciplinary learning. Knowing students’ attitude on the event hosted by the university can be a key aspect for participants’ behavior which can directly impact them which bring long-term support for the university.
Methods
The study distributed 308 questionnaires among participants at the Soochow University in Taiwan, after elimination of invalid questionnaires a total of 273 questionnaires was used. A 5-point Likert scale was implemented for the study. The basic descriptive analysis of participants was analyzed using SPSS for windows, Smart PLS 4 was used to understand the relationship between the variables. CFA to test for reliability and validity and to test the relationship among the variables.
Result
The collected survey consists of 78 (28.57%.) male and 195 (71.42%) female. The analysis showed that the measurement model has a good fitness indicator where the SRMR was at .0.058 which met the criteria. This study showed that the factor loading range was 0.722-0. Additionally, the Brand image showed a positive relationship toward cognitive value (β=.701***) with R2 = .491 with exploratory power of 49% and positive relationship toward social value (β=.672***) with R2 =.451 with exploratory power of 45% both cognitive value and social value on positive attitude (β=.463***) (β=.417***) and the exploratory power of positive attitude R2 was .717 giving an exploratory power of 71% and positive attitude toward brand loyalty was (β=.616***) of R2=.379 with an exploratory power of 37% of variance in the latent variable
Discussion
Hosting the international ultra marathon is crucial for the development of the university, hoping to see improvement and loyalty for the university. The brand image itself is of importance as it shows positive relationships toward cognitive value and social value, giving participants positivity in attitude toward the university, finally leading to brand loyalty.