Meeting within Globalization

This article deals with a paradox of contemporary globalization: while on the one hand, the ability to communicate over long distances allows us to further streamline and depersonalize our exchanges, on the other, there has been a rise in international events that are dedicated to professional meetings in a wide range of economic sectors since the 1980s. This article addresses the issue with a survey of two international film and TV “marketplaces” that bring together thousands of professionals in the film and television industry from around the world. By examining interactions between participants, it is emphasised that these events are above all social spaces, contrary to other accounts that reduce them to spaces for data collection or symbolic competition. By encouraging the creation of social groupings, these events indeed contribute towards delimiting a transnational professional community. Moreover, although these are commercial business events, the strictly economic stakes are greatly minimized or euphemized. The personalization of relationships between participants predominates, which is crucial in ensuring the long-term sustainability of trade.