In our globalized world trade fairs are important events for firms to communicate and/or sell their products and services to a global audience. But besides this original aim of trade fairs, scientists go further and focus on the effects, which these temporary and spatial accumulations of professionals from the same or equal industries might have. According to that, a particular focus lies on inter-organizational learning processes, like they can be found in clusters. Thus, the central question of this report derives, whether in the European context trade fairs can be seen as temporary clusters, which would imply that trade fairs became central nodes connecting global economy.
This issue is important, since both participating in trade fairs and searching for adequate interaction partners are costly and time intensive processes. If trade fairs provided equal benefits as temporary clusters, organizing and participating entities would expend more effort on planning and conducting the time before, during and after the trade fair. Apparently, benefiting from new knowledge pools is at least an important aspect in times of increasing innovation velocity.
Finding a clear answer for the problem is not trivial, since the majority of available literature focuses on trade fairs in the context of a communication instrument in firm’s marketing mix. Furthermore there are difficulties to maintain a particular focus on Europe, since globalized world economy meets on international flagship trade fairs. Another aspect is the difficulty of measuring qualitative and quantifiable effects of spatial proximity in clusters, which additionally could be implemented to compare different forms of temporary clusters.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Trade Fairs
3. Temporary Clusters
3.1 Structure
3.2 Local Buzz
3.3 Pipelines
4. Trade Fairs as Temporary Clusters
4.1 Structure
4.2 Information and Knowledge Creation
4.2.1 Monitoring and Comparing
4.2.2 Buzz and Global Pipelines
5. Implications for the European Economy
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this report is to analyze whether trade fairs in the European context can be conceptualized as temporary clusters, effectively serving as central nodes within the global economy to facilitate inter-organizational learning and knowledge exchange.
- The conceptual overlap between trade fairs and permanent industrial clusters.
- The mechanisms of "local buzz" and "global pipelines" in temporary settings.
- The role of trade fairs in monitoring competition and facilitating knowledge spillovers.
- The importance of face-to-face interaction for building trust-based long-term business relationships.
- Implications for the competitiveness of the European economy.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction
In our globalized world trade fairs are important events for firms to communicate and/or sell their products and services to a global audience. But besides this original aim of trade fairs, scientists go further and focus on the effects, which these temporary and spatial accumulations of professionals from the same or equal industries might have. According to that, a particular focus lies on inter-organizational learning processes, like they can be found in clusters. Thus, the central question of this report derives, whether in the European context trade fairs can be seen as temporary clusters, which would imply that trade fairs became central nodes connecting global economy.
This issue is important, since both participating in trade fairs and searching for adequate interaction partners are costly and time intensive processes. If trade fairs provided equal benefits as temporary clusters, organizing and participating entities would expend more effort on planning and conducting the time before, during and after the trade fair. Apparently, benefiting from new knowledge pools is at least an important aspect in times of increasing innovation velocity.
Finding a clear answer for the problem is not trivial, since the majority of available literature focuses on trade fairs in the context of a communication instrument in firm’s marketing mix. Furthermore there are difficulties to maintain a particular focus on Europe, since globalized world economy meets on international flagship trade fairs. Another aspect is the difficulty of measuring qualitative and quantifiable effects of spatial proximity in clusters, which additionally could be implemented to compare different forms of temporary clusters.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the research objective of evaluating whether trade fairs function as temporary clusters and highlights the significance of knowledge exchange in globalized markets.
2. Trade Fairs: This section defines trade fairs as recurrent, time-limited market events and provides a typology based on geographical and market coverage.
3. Temporary Clusters: This chapter explores the theoretical framework of clusters, focusing on their structural dimensions, the "local buzz" phenomenon, and the importance of "pipelines" for external knowledge acquisition.
4. Trade Fairs as Temporary Clusters: This section compares the structural and functional attributes of trade fairs with those of clusters, analyzing how they facilitate monitoring, comparing, and knowledge creation through both local and global interactions.
5. Implications for the European Economy: This chapter discusses the positive economic impact of the high density of international trade fairs in Europe and the potential for leveraging these events to enhance innovation.
6. Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming that international, vertical trade fairs function as temporary clusters that serve as vital nodes for global economic connectivity.
Keywords
Trade Fairs, Temporary Clusters, Local Buzz, Global Pipelines, Economic Geography, Knowledge Creation, Inter-organizational Learning, Spatial Proximity, European Economy, Innovation, Competitive Advantage, Tacit Knowledge, Explicit Knowledge, Business Networks, Industrial Clusters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this report?
The report examines the role of trade fairs as temporary clusters and their contribution to global economic connectivity and knowledge exchange.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers the definitions of trade fairs and clusters, the mechanisms of information flow, the role of face-to-face interaction, and the strategic importance of international trade fairs for firms.
What is the central research question?
The central question is whether, within the European context, trade fairs can be classified as temporary clusters that serve as central nodes connecting the global economy.
What scientific methodology is applied?
The paper utilizes a conceptual and comparative analysis based on existing economic geography literature to evaluate the structural and functional similarities between permanent industrial clusters and trade fairs.
What is analyzed in the main body?
The main body examines the structural characteristics of both entities, the role of "local buzz" in knowledge exchange, the formation of "global pipelines" via trade fairs, and the resulting implications for European companies.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Temporary Clusters, Local Buzz, Global Pipelines, Trade Fairs, Knowledge Creation, and Economic Geography.
How do trade fairs contribute to the creation of "global pipelines"?
By providing a venue where international actors gather without the risk and costs associated with establishing new business contacts from scratch, trade fairs facilitate the creation of trust-based relationships that act as pipelines for knowledge.
Why are vertical trade fairs more comparable to clusters than horizontal ones?
Vertical trade fairs focus on a single industry with a specialized scope, mirroring the sectoral concentration found in traditional clusters, whereas horizontal trade fairs deal with a multitude of unrelated industries.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Christoph Bruns (Autor:in), 2011, Trade Fairs as Temporary Clusters in Europe?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/205776
