ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how micro-companies in a rural area can become involved in networking and the experience economy. A varied literature exists that stresses the role of networking and collaborations among companies in local areas for economic development and innovation. For example, it has been argued that innovative milieus (Camagni 1991) embedded in local network structures facilitate knowledge transfer between or within sectors (Asheim et al. 2011; Frenken et al. 2007). Or that agglomeration of firms in a regional context reduces transaction costs between them (Storper 1995). Local buzz among companies has been seen as important for global sourcing of knowledge (Bathelt et al. 2004). However, these studies have also been criticized for their emphasis on proximity (Crevoisier and Jeannerat 2009; Lorentzen 2007); networking today in the era of globalization may be a more globalized and geographically distributed phenomenon than previously understood; companies source knowledge globally (Lorentzen 2007). Yet, in some sectors like tourism, the engagement of companies in local systems of collaboration can be important not just for sourcing of knowledge but also for the development of local products (Fuglsang and Eide 2013). Research also shows that small companies in rural areas may be difficult to engage in large-scale cooperation and innovation.
