Service performance quality evaluation and satisfaction in a USA wine festivalscape

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the links between perceived festival service performance quality, satisfaction, buying wine at the event, and the first-time/repeat tourist dynamic. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted on 368 attendees at a major wine festival in the northeast USA using intercept face-to-face interviews. Findings – The facility-related quality aspects are a stronger predictor of buying behaviour than activity-related aspects and amenities. A relationship between performance quality perception and satisfaction could not be found. 35-year and older repeat visitors are the highest yielding festival visitor group from a financial viewpoint. First-timers are far more short-term oriented than repeat visitors when making the final decision to attend the festival event. Research limitations/implications – It is very important to achieve a high degree of repeat festival attendance as this directly influenced the financial gains in selling more wine. The nature and types of activities offered at a festival must be cohesive with the theme of the event. The festival activities offered should be continually evaluated for signs of wear out, and renewed, or replaced if necessary. Originality/value – The research provides a new perspective to festivalscape knowledge in that it identifies the first-time and repeat visitor dynamic as a strong predictor of actual buying behaviour at a festival. The higher the proportion of repeat visitors, the higher the likelihood of (wine) buying.