Beyond the joint-venture: knowledge sourcing in Chinese automotive events

Abstract

This article analyses how firms use events and trade fairs for external knowledge sourcing, which barriers emerge and how event organisers strategically mediate and influence those processes. The research setting focuses on two major automotive events in Shanghai, highlighting that knowledge sourcing in these events do complement other types of knowledge accessed in permanent ‘sites’ and organisational configurations, such as in clusters and through joint-ventures. Firms use automotive events to access buzz, to monitor other firms and to explore options for new collaborations. Yet, it is also argued that a focus on existing relations, the defensive strategies deployed by lead firms and the intrinsic complexity of exhibited technologies hinder the process of knowledge sourcing that is influenced by event organisers’ content, matchmaking and access policies.

Keywords:

• Knowledge sourcing
• trade fairs
• event organisers
• automotive industry
• China

Jel classification:

• L62
• N65
• O32

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the editors of this special issue, David Guile and Siw Fosstenløkken, and to the two anonymous reviewers, who provided detailed and useful comments to improve the paper. Finally, we are highly indebted to Rachel Feng and Wendong Deng for their organisational support during the field work. The usual disclaimers apply.

Notes

¹ As suggested in the theoretical discussion, we expect ‘collaboration’ per se to be a less relevant knowledge sourcing mode during events, even if they are expected as important for firms to construct new relations. Therefore, we analyse various types of (new) relations established during the two automotive events that may lead to collaboration afterwards. In order to stay close to the theoretical debate and conceptual framework, we use the term ‘collaboration’ instead of ‘relationships’.

² Auto Shanghai is managed by Shanghai International Exhibition Co. Ltd in partnership with the German Messe München International (MMI). Automechanika is an existing brand for automotive trade fairs that was introduced in China by the international trade show organiser Frankfurt Messe, in partnership with the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation.