Harald Bathelt / Guido Zakrzewski
Trade fairs as focal intersections in the global economy
Pages 14 - 30

Trade fairs have long been the focus of studies in business administration, investigating the importance of such events as marketing and sales instruments. In contrast, only few studies have analysed the nature of information and communication flows during these gatherings and studied them as platforms for processes of learning and knowledge creation. This paper argues, that the roles of trade fairs in these processes differ according to sector, market focus and spatial reach. Particularly international flagship fairs have become central nodes which connect the global economy and provide participating firms with access to new technologies, market trends and potential business partners. They bring together agents from all over the world and create temporary spaces of presentation and interaction, or temporary clusters. This paper develops a typology of trade fairs regarding their potential to support processes of knowledge creation and innovation. Further, it analyses the interaction patterns during seven such events in Germany.


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