Knowledge generation and field reproduction in temporary clusters and the role of business conferences

•Business conferences attract knowing communities from cross-industry, functional fields.•Knowledge circulation relies on presentations, conversations, peer discussions, observations.•Business conferences enable field reproduction, rather than discontinuous field configuration.•The temporary cluster can be used to analyze knowledge circulation at business conferences.

This paper discusses the role of business conferences in enabling processes of knowledge transfers over distance. It argues that conferences form a specific type of temporary cluster bringing together knowing communities from cross-industry, functional fields and creating opportunities for diverse knowledge exchanges. In contrast to other types of temporary clusters, such as trade fairs, horizontal interactions with peers and competitors are at the core of business conferences, focused around presentations and keynote speeches that provide crucial reference points. Although some conferences may have a distinct field-configuring potential related to the activities of the conference organizers, the actual outcomes are mostly less predictable and depend on the diverse goals, needs and experiences of the participants. As such, conferences enable ongoing field reproduction, rather than discontinuous field configuration. This is illustrated in an explorative study of three business conferences in Toronto.