Trade Shows in the 21st Century

The Role of Events in Structuring Careers and Professions

Edited by Anne-Sophie Béliard, Associate Professor in Sociology, Department of Sociology and Sidonie Naulin, Associate Professor in Sociology, Sciences Po Grenoble, Grenoble Alpes University (UGA), France

Why do professionals keep attending face-to-face industry gatherings when digitization offers cheap, fast and time-saving technological solutions for professional interactions? This book sets out to explain such a phenomenon by analysing the reasons why professionals go to professional events, the role of events on individual careers and the way events can be instrumental in structuring emerging professions and (re)affirming stable, shared professional identities.

‘Over hundreds of years fairs have signified festivities and a break with the ordinary, and they have long been a site for social interaction between professionals and lay-people. In this timely and excellent volume, the focus is on trade shows. We learn from the many sparkling chapters, capturing the varieties of themes and forms trade shows can take, just how important they are for professionals, individually and collectively. This highly relevant book addresses the more recent phenomenon of online events and what they bring, while simultaneously showing why physical events seem to be here to stay.’
– Patrik Aspers, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland