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The objective of this study is to analyse relationship quality in a business‐to‐business context. Given that the relationship between market orientation and customer‐perceived service quality is well known in the area of higher education, this paper draws on its antecedents to examine relationship quality in cultural services.

A sample of 68 customers (cultural entities) was obtained from a postal survey (April 2010). Partial least squares (PLS) models were used to test the proposed hypotheses. This is a structural equation (SEM) technique based on variances that is suited to working with small and medium sized samples.

The authors’ results show that satisfaction, trust and commitment are key components of relationship quality. While service quality is a determining factor of satisfaction, relationship quality can be improved by taking into account that customer‐perceived market orientation acts as a precursor for service quality, satisfaction and commitment.

This article attempts to expand upon the previous relationship quality literature on business‐to‐business relationships to: study behaviours conducive to lasting relationships between two different sectors (higher education and cultural industry); understand the antecedents of relationship quality; confirm relationship quality dimensions; and compare the hypothesized relationships from the customer's perspective.