dr Liwia DELIŃSKA – Uniwersytet Gdański, Wydział Zarządzania, ul. Armii Krajowej 101, 81-824 Sopot, Polska, e-mail: liwia.delinska@ug.edu.pl
dr Patrycja WYCISZKIEWICZ – Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Poznaniu, Katedra Strategii Marketingowych, ul. Powstańców Wlkp. 16, 61-875 Poznań, Polska, e-mail: patrycja.wyciszkiewicz@ue.poznan.pl
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The aim of this article is to identify and conceptualise the dimensions of service quality in the road-running event market, drawing on the SERVQUAL model and its adaptations in sport. Two research questions were posed: RQ1 – Can the classical SERVQUAL model be applied to assess the quality of running events? RQ2 – Do existing modifications of this model (EVENTQUAL, SPORTSERV, TEAMQUAL) fully reflect the specifics of the running-event market?
Design/methodology/approach: A three-stage research procedure was employed: (1) a literature review of SERVQUAL and its sport-market adaptations; (2) desk-research analysis of previous studies in this area; and (3) netnography, involving a review of participants’ online comments about running events.
Findings/conclusions: While the five original SERVQUAL dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) remain relevant to running-event services, they are insufficient on their own. The analysis shows the need to distinguish two additional categories: communication (which replaces responsiveness) and atmosphere. The assurance dimension was omitted, resulting in a proposed seven-dimension model for evaluating running-event quality.
Research limitations: The principal limitation is that the proposed assessment model is still at a conceptual stage. It requires empirical validation among running-event participants, which the authors plan to undertake in subsequent phases of the research project.
Practical implications: The concept of model offers a tool for assessing the quality of running events. In a competitive market, regular quality evaluation is essential for maintaining an advantage and effectively meeting participants’ needs.
Originality/value: The article updates existing service-quality measurement methods by identifying market-specific dimensions for running events that have not yet been addressed in the literature.
KEYWORDS
service quality, SERVQUAL, running events, mass participation sport