| Abstract: | In view of a globalizing marketplace and the continual need for market intelligence, firms seek venues in which to access cost effective, functional information. Significant sources of such knowledge, especially in tacit form, can be found within temporary clusters: international trade fairs. This article explores how firms in the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry use educational programs held during a trade fair as a means of information acquisition and exchange, providing a new angle to research on the economic geographies of these events, especially in terms of learning processes. Specifically, it analyzes how firms use educational programs to access remote knowledge (i.e., tacit information unavailable in a local context) in these temporary, spatially confined environments. Analyses of firm-level survey data gathered at a recent solar industry trade fair revealed that there is a significant effect of educational program participation on accessing remote knowledge. The results provide evidence that firms participate in trade fair educational programs to access remote knowledge that is critical to international success. Key Words: educational programs, knowledge exchange, remote knowledge, trade fairs. |
