Trade shows and other temporary clusters have recently emerged as key sites of theoretical relevance for scholars interested in the spatial consequences of interactive learning. Current research sees these events as relational spaces in which countless actors interact and learn spontaneously, without a central actor governing the process. In the case of permanent clusters, however, studies have started unpacking the practices through which key actors, such as entrepreneurial and professional associations, stimulate learning and interaction. In this paper, we hold that these central subjects have an important role in activating co-localization’s benefits also with regard to temporary clusters. Through an empirical study of the European Union (EU) clothing fabric trade shows between 1986 and 2006, we identify four types of practices through which trade show organizers shape learning and interaction at their events. Contrary to current views, our study shows that knowledge exchanges at these events do not always occur at a global level. Instead, the geographical scale of knowledge exchange and acquisition processes in temporary clusters is socially and politically constructed at several levels – from the merely local to the truly global. We also show that trade show organizers facilitate vertical relationships between exhibitors and typical visitors (i.e., buyers), whereas other knowledge flows are neglected or even hindered. We conclude by highlighting the theoretical implications of our study for the literature on interaction and innovation’s spatial consequences.
Exploring the knowledge strategies of temporary cluster organizers:A longitudinal study of the EU fabric industry trade shows (1986-2006)
RINALLO, DIEGO;GOLFETTO, FRANCESCA
2011
Abstract
Trade shows and other temporary clusters have recently emerged as key sites of theoretical relevance for scholars interested in the spatial consequences of interactive learning. Current research sees these events as relational spaces in which countless actors interact and learn spontaneously, without a central actor governing the process. In the case of permanent clusters, however, studies have started unpacking the practices through which key actors, such as entrepreneurial and professional associations, stimulate learning and interaction. In this paper, we hold that these central subjects have an important role in activating co-localization’s benefits also with regard to temporary clusters. Through an empirical study of the European Union (EU) clothing fabric trade shows between 1986 and 2006, we identify four types of practices through which trade show organizers shape learning and interaction at their events. Contrary to current views, our study shows that knowledge exchanges at these events do not always occur at a global level. Instead, the geographical scale of knowledge exchange and acquisition processes in temporary clusters is socially and politically constructed at several levels – from the merely local to the truly global. We also show that trade show organizers facilitate vertical relationships between exhibitors and typical visitors (i.e., buyers), whereas other knowledge flows are neglected or even hindered. We conclude by highlighting the theoretical implications of our study for the literature on interaction and innovation’s spatial consequences.
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