ABSTRACT
The research presented in this chapter developed from earlier research on the continued importance of industrial agglomerations despite economic globalisation processes. It is based on a relational approach in economic geography which emphasises the role of economic agency over structural analyses of spatial representations. This approach suggests applying an institutional perspective in investigating stabilisations of economic relations, and to move beyond spatial description to provide a deeper understanding of social and economic processes (Bathelt and Glückler 2003). The focus of this chapter on international trade fairs as meeting points in the global political economy is a direct result of unresolved questions related to these approaches.
