IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i7p3802-d526611.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Events during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The User Preferences of VirBELA Virtual 3D Platform at the SHIFT Event Organized in Finland

Author

Listed:
  • Jussi S. Jauhiainen

    (Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
    Institute of Ecology and the Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 50090 Tartu, Estonia)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought abrupt changes for international events that promote entrepreneurship and innovation. Usually, such events bring together thousands of participants to provide them with information about ongoing and emerging trends in their fields, to network with old and new colleagues and get ideas that can develop into innovations. In 2020, most such events were cancelled. Few events were organized virtually, that is without participants physically coming together. Compared with physical face-to-face events, virtual events reduce the travel-related emissions and consumption, thereby supporting sustainability. This article studies the SHIFT entrepreneurship and innovation event held virtually in October 2020 and organized in Finland. For this article, the author gathered data about user preferences from surveying participants, speakers, presenters and organizers, almost all of whom were first-time users of VirBELA’s 3D virtual platform. Furthermore, participant observation and interviews via avatars were conducted during the event. At the virtual event, 68% of respondents talked with former acquaintances, and 68% also talked with new acquaintances, and 53% opinioned that using the virtual platform can support the emergence of innovations. Virtual entrepreneurship and innovation events have potential to support networking, novel ideas and thus innovations, but issues of trust and confidentiality arose concerns among some participants.

Suggested Citation

  • Jussi S. Jauhiainen, 2021. "Entrepreneurship and Innovation Events during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The User Preferences of VirBELA Virtual 3D Platform at the SHIFT Event Organized in Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:3802-:d:526611
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/7/3802/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/7/3802/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Storper & Anthony J. Venables, 2004. "Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 351-370, August.
    2. Messinger, Paul R. & Ge, Xin & Smirnov, Kristen & Stroulia, Eleni & Lyons, Kelly, 2019. "Reflections of the extended self: Visual self-representation in avatar-mediated environments," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 531-546.
    3. Hung, Shiu-Wan & Cheng, Min-Jhih & Hou, Chen-En & Chen, Nai-Rong, 2021. "Inclusion in global virtual teams: Exploring non-spatial proximity and knowledge sharing on innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 599-610.
    4. Elia, Gianluca & Margherita, Alessandro & Passiante, Giuseppina, 2020. "Digital entrepreneurship ecosystem: How digital technologies and collective intelligence are reshaping the entrepreneurial process," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    5. Galkina, Tamara & Yang, Man, 2020. "Bringing Nordic Slush to Asia: Entrepreneurial internationalization of an NGO as a social movement," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).
    6. Magnus Nilsson, 2019. "Proximity and the trust formation process," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(5), pages 841-861, May.
    7. Milan Klöwer & Debbie Hopkins & Myles Allen & James Higham, 2020. "An analysis of ways to decarbonize conference travel after COVID-19," Nature, Nature, vol. 583(7816), pages 356-359, July.
    8. Nilsson, Magnus & Mattes, Jannika, 2015. "The spatiality of trust: Factors influencing the creation of trust and the role of face-to-face contacts," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 230-244.
    9. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    10. Alex Maritz & Aron Perenyi & Gerrit de Waal & Christoph Buck, 2020. "Entrepreneurship as the Unsung Hero during the Current COVID-19 Economic Crisis: Australian Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-9, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dorota Janiszewska & Vilde Hannevik Lien & Dariusz Kloskowski & Luiza Ossowska & Christian Dragin-Jensen & Marianna Strzelecka & Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, 2021. "Effects of COVID-19 Infection Control Measures on the Festival and Event Sector in Poland and Norway," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-16, November.
    2. Jussi S. Jauhiainen & Claudia Krohn & Johanna Junnila, 2022. "Metaverse and Sustainability: Systematic Review of Scientific Publications until 2022 and Beyond," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Markus Grillitsch & Magnus Nilsson, 2019. "Knowledge externalities and firm heterogeneity: Effects on high and low growth firms," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(1), pages 93-114, February.
    2. Markus Grillitsch & Magnus Nilsson, 2017. "Firm performance in the periphery: on the relation between firm-internal knowledge and local knowledge spillovers," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 1219-1231, August.
    3. van der Wouden, Frank & Youn, Hyejin, 2023. "The impact of geographical distance on learning through collaboration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    4. Shuai Shi & Kathy Pain, 2020. "Investigating China’s Mid-Yangtze River economic growth region using a spatial network growth model," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(14), pages 2973-2993, November.
    5. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Riccardo Crescenzi, 2008. "Mountains in a flat world: why proximity still matters for the location of economic activity," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 1(3), pages 371-388.
    6. Marte C.W. Solheim & Ron Boschma & Sverre Herstad, 2018. "Related variety, unrelated variety and the novelty content of firm innovation in urban and non-urban locations," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1836, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2018.
    7. Laurent R. Bergé, 2017. "Network proximity in the geography of research collaboration," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 96(4), pages 785-815, November.
    8. Sara Amoroso & Alex Coad & Nicola Grassano, 2017. "European R&D networks: A snapshot from the 7th EU Framework Programme," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation JRC107546, Joint Research Centre (Seville site).
    9. Rosina Moreno & Ernest Miguélez, 2012. "A Relational Approach To The Geography Of Innovation: A Typology Of Regions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 492-516, July.
    10. Ernest Miguélez & Rosina Moreno, 2013. "Do Labour Mobility and Technological Collaborations Foster Geographical Knowledge Diffusion? The Case of European Regions," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(2), pages 321-354, June.
    11. Jin, Peizhen & Mangla, Sachin Kumar & Song, Malin, 2021. "Moving towards a sustainable and innovative city: Internal urban traffic accessibility and high-level innovation based on platform monitoring data," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    12. Ferretti, Marco & Guerini, Massimiliano & Panetti, Eva & Parmentola, Adele, 2022. "The partner next door? The effect of micro-geographical proximity on intra-cluster inter-organizational relationships," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    13. Justin Doran & Declan Jordan & Eoin O’Leary, 2012. "The effects of the frequency of spatially proximate and distant interaction on innovation by Irish SMEs," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7-8), pages 705-727, September.
    14. Margarita Billon & Rocio Marco & Fernando Lera-Lopez, 2017. "Innovation and ICT use in the EU: an analysis of regional drivers," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 1083-1108, November.
    15. Laurent Mériade & Benoit Nautré & Corinne Rochette & Damien Talbot, 2017. "Les effets de la Proximité sur l'exécution des politiques publiques : L'exemple d'un Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer (CLCC)," Post-Print hal-02327098, HAL.
    16. Martin M�ller & Allison Stewart, 2016. "Does Temporary Geographical Proximity Predict Learning? Knowledge Dynamics in the Olympic Games," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 377-390, March.
    17. Tubiana, Matteo & Miguelez, Ernest & Moreno, Rosina, 2022. "In knowledge we trust: Learning-by-interacting and the productivity of inventors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    18. Shu Yu & Takaya Yuizono, 2021. "A Proximity Approach to Understanding University-Industry Collaborations for Innovation in Non-Local Context: Exploring the Catch-Up Role of Regional Absorptive Capacity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.
    19. Michaela Trippl & Franz Tödtling & Lukas Lengauer, 2009. "Knowledge Sourcing Beyond Buzz and Pipelines: Evidence from the Vienna Software Sector," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 85(4), pages 443-462, October.
    20. Grillitsch, Markus & Nilsson , Magnus, 2013. "Technological competencies and firm performance: Analyzing the importance of internal and external competencies," Papers in Innovation Studies 2013/24, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:3802-:d:526611. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.