![Sample our Politics & International Relations journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5947/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Politics-International-Relations.jpg"})
Abstract
International trade fairs bring together agents from all over the world for a limited time period. They create a dense ecology of communication and information flows, referred to as “global buzz”. Global buzz associated with face-to-face (F2F) communication is extremely important for agents participating in these events as it generates access to developments occurring in different parts of the world. It helps to maintain and intensify existing networks, establish new networks or “trans-local pipelines” and support the development of shared attitudes and understandings. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence about the significance of global buzz in its manifold forms. Our research emphasizes the benefits that result from four sets of closely interrelated practices: (i) global knowledge exchange based on F2F interaction, (ii) exploration of market trends, (iii) problem solving and idea generation and (iv) network generation and pipeline-building in interpretative communities. The paper argues that practices of acquiring information, networking and dealing with competition differ substantially according to industry, firm and product characteristics. Our analysis of global buzz practices draws from more than 460 semi-structured interviews, which were conducted between 2004 and 2006 at seven national and international trade fairs in Frankfurt/Main, Hannover and Nürnberg, Germany.
Acknowledgements
Parts of this paper were presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers in Boston, MA, April 15–19. For critical comments and thoughtful remarks we wish to thank Patrick Cohendet, Rachael Gibson, Oliver Ibert, Wendy Larner and Sally Weller. Parts of this research were funded by the Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Governance at the University of Toronto, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Dr. Wolff Foundation in Marburg, Germany.