Competition and collective marketing: A history of the European textile industry trade shows

The paper reports a longitudinal investigation of the characteristics and evolution of European textile and clothing international trade shows between 1990 and 2005, a period marked by conflicts between different textile producer groups in Europe, which in turn resulted in periods of heightened competition between the trade shows supported by such groups. The study shows that: (i) remarkable differences exist among international trade shows in terms of their size, perceived informational capacity and import-export function; (ii) structural aspects – such as the size of local demand and supply markets – interact with inertia and the agency of organisers in determining the localisation or geographical distribution of trade show activities within and across countries; (iii) competition among trade shows can be better understood by considering both competition among exhibitors within trade shows and competition through trade shows by cities on the one hand and industry associations on the other.