This book presents a radically innovative view on trade shows as knowledge-rich places, where firms learn through observation and interaction with other economic actors, and as enablers, rather than mere consequences, of globalization. Traditionally seen as marketing tools, trade shows are conceptualised as temporary clusters that facilitate the creation and diffusion of knowledge across geographical distances, even in the age of social media. The book is organized in four parts. Part I lays out the conceptual foundations of the knowledge-based perspective, from the early development of trade fairs to modern-day events. Part II analyses specific global developments, focussing on the trade show ecologies of Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Part III investigates differences in the nature of knowledge generation practices across international hub shows, exports shows, and import shows in different industries, and investigates competition between such events. Part IV discusses the implications of a knowledge-based conceptualisation of trade shows. The book will be of interest to scholars and students in economic geography, management, marketing, organization studies, political science, and sociology. It also has practical implications for trade show organisers on how to make their events more competitive through knowledge-based strategies; for industry associations and cities, on how to use these events for collective/place marketing purposes; and for policy makers, on how to use trade shows for export promotion and innovation policies.

This book is the first to take an in-depth examination of the breadth and scope of exhibitions, trade fairs and other industrial events as a marketing tool or channel. Industrial Events are planned events that are staged with the primary aim of marketing businesses, industries and products. This may lead to direct sales through these events, as well as the development of brand image or building brand awareness; penetration of new markets; trials of new products and knowledge diffusion. These business goals might be future-focused, with meetings of strategic players from across an industry or sector contributing to the shaping of future innovations and development. Industrial events act as a marketplace, but rather than seeing them as temporary or isolated activities, they can be understood as cyclical clusters. This is a multidisciplinary book written by an international group of leading academics, offering a wide range of case studies that feature countries such as the United Kingdom, United States of America, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia and New Zealand. It will appeal to students and researchers in the fields of cultural studies, history, tourism, sociology, economics and management