Examining the Relationship between Service Quality and Attendees' Satisfaction at an Art Festival in Malaysia

Service quality is an important part of the equation when it comes to the success of a festival or event, and it's a key factor in the overall experience of attendees. Community-based art festivals play a crucial role in promoting cultural tourism, supporting creative economy and maintaining the artistic heritage of the region in Malaysia. Although service quality is becoming more significant in the field of the arts, few studies have been carried out specifically on the components of service quality that influence guests' satisfaction in Malaysian art festivals. To bridge this disconnect, this conceptual paper helps to elucidate the relationship between guests' enjoyment and service quality during community-based art events within a paradigm. The framework is primarily adapted from the exhibition service quality model by Chen & Mo and enhanced with the integration of the latest literature on festival management and the event studies. The aspects of service quality such as activity content, booth structure and function, and exhibition and booth attractiveness are suggested to be important predictors of the satisfaction among the event attendees. A suggested empirical technique is also described in the paper to help validate the conceptual framework in the future. By extending the application of service quality theory to the understudied setting of Malaysian community-based art festivals, the suggested framework adds to the body of literature on event management. It provides practical tips for festival organizers to make their programs more interesting and engaging, enhance exhibition areas, and enhance the experience for attendees to promote the long-term development of art festivals in Malaysia.

service quality, event attendees’ satisfaction, art festival, event management

1. Abdul Gapor, S., Chin, C. H., Ngian, E. T., Wong, W. P. M., Kiew, J. P., & Toh, T. L. (2024). Cultural events' service quality, satisfaction and loyalty: A case on an annual cultural diversity event in Borneo. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 15(2), 191–212. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-07-2023-0054 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Abu Talib, M. H. B., Zamzuri, N. H., & Nasir, H. M. (2024). A Conceptual Discussion Related to Festival Events in Malaysia. Information Management and Business Review, 16(3(I), 7-12. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v16i3(I).3921 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299205600205 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. (4th ed.). SAGE. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Chen, C. F., Chen, F. S., & Wang, Y. C., (2022). How do tourists experience a festivalscape? An application of stimulus–organism–response theory. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 23, 100690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100690 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Chen, Y. F., & Mo, H. E., (2012). Attendees’ perspectives on the relationship between service quality and attendee satisfaction in a trade show. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 13(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/15470148.2012.650416 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Cole, S. T., & Chancellor, H. C. (2009). Examining the festival attributes that impact visitor experience, satisfaction and re-visit intention. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 15(4), 323–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766709335831 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Cole, S. T., & Illum, S. F. (2006). Examining the mediating role of festival visitors’ satisfaction in the relationship between service quality and behavioral intentions. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 12(2), 160–173. https://doi.org/10.1191/1356766706jm147oa [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Darvishmotevali, M., Ali, F., & Ghaedi, A. (2022). Experiential festival attributes, perceived value, cultural competitiveness, and behavioural intentions. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 23, 100691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100691 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. EUDL. (2024). Exploration of exhibition design—Functional and aesthetic dimensions. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies, https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.24-5-2024.2350073 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Getz, D., & Page, S. J. (2016). Progress and prospects for event tourism research. Tourism Management, 52, 593–631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.03.007 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2022). Multivariate data analysis (9th ed.). Cengage. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Huang, M. L. (2024). The impact of festival tourism experience and tourist satisfaction on well-being and revisit intention. Applied Sciences, 14(3), 1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031089 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Jung, M. (2005). Determinants of exhibition service quality as perceived by attendees. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 7(3–4), 85–98. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Kim, D., Lee, C. K., & Sirgy, M. J., (2015). Examining the differential impact of human crowding versus spatial crowding on visitor satisfaction at a festival. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(5), 936–954. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 10548408.2015.1024914 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Kim, J. H., Park, S. Y., & Lee, D. H. (2024). Logistics exhibition booth structures according to the type of impact on the visitors satisfaction. Journal of Distribution Science, 19(7),15–26. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002038147 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Krongyut, K. (2025). The influence of event experience scale affecting satisfaction of Thai tourists in Chiang Rai ASEAN Flower and Art Festival 2024. International Journal of Future Meditation Research, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i01.34650 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Lee, J., & Min, C. K. (2013). The influence of exhibition service quality on visitor satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 14(4), 293–314. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Na, S., & Zakaria, N. (2024). Service quality, festival experience and visitor satisfaction in community-based cultural festivals. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, 16(3), 101–118. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378001700405 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Pai, C.-K., Ko, Y.-J., & Santos, C. A. (2021). Festival quality, perceived value, trust, satisfaction, and loyalty: A structural model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9214. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179214 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Rivetti, F. (2024). The formation of attendee loyalty at cultural festivals: What role do knowledge and authenticity play? Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Salkind, N. J. (2017). Exploring research (9th ed.). Pearson. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Tanford, S. (2017). A meta-analysis of relationships with satisfaction and loyalty. Annals of Tourism Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2017.05.006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Wu, H.C., Li, M.Y., & Li, T. (2016). A study of experiential quality, perceived value, heritage image, experiential satisfaction, and behavioral intentions for heritage tourists. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 42(6), 904–944. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Zhang, J., & Li, P., Feng, Z., Zhang, S., (2026). A study on the application of brand visual environmental graphic design in rural arts festivals. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2026.2620868 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Indirect Effect of Liquidity and Activity on Company Value with Profitability as an Intervening Variable
• Effect of Financial Skills, Knowledge, and Attitude on The Financial Behaviour of Clergy
• A Decade of Review: Trends in Budget Execution and Financial Performance of Development Projects in Tanzania (2014/15-2023/24)
• The Influence of Pre-Project Planning on the Budget Absorption Rate of Public Funded Infrastructure Projects in Kenya a Comparative Case Study of Narok, Migori, and Kisii County Government Projects
• Assessment of Factors Influencing Digital Transformation in Hotels’ Facility Management in Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria