FEATURE
ARE JEWELLERY TRADE SHOWS DYING?
Are jewellery
trade shows dying?
Swatch Group dropping out of Baselworld has set tongues wagging about the future of jewellery trade shows.
LEWIS CATCHPOLE and ALESSANDRO CARRARA visited International Jewellery London 2018
to see how the show is fairing and ask exhibitors for their views on this most traditional of formats
“A different rhythm and a different approach is needed.
In this new context, annual watch fairs, as they exist
today, no longer make much sense. This does not mean
that they should disappear, but, it is necessary that they
reinvent themselves, responding appropriately to the
current situation and demonstrating more dynamism
and creativity.” Those are the damning words of Nick
Hayek CEO of the watch giant, Swatch Group, who
announced earlier this summer that his company
would not be returning to the European watch and
jewellery show, Baselworld.
The announcement that one of the world’s largest
watch groups, which encompasses 18 brands including
Breguet, Blancpain, Longines and Omega, as well
as Swatch, would not be returning is just the latest
blow in what has been a series of tough years for the
show. Since 2016 the exhibition has seen its exhibitor
numbers drop from 1,500 to just 700 in 2018 and the
number of days the show runs cut from eight to six.
Lee Ruben, managing director of jewellery
manufacturer Gemex is a former Baselworld exhibitor
who recently decided that his company would also not
return to the show. “We exhibited at Baselworld for
six or seven years running,” says Ruben, “but we have
found recently that less and less people are spending
money on jewellery, as the watch companies have
become very heavy-handed and are wiping out people’s
budgets before they reach the jewellery stands.”
He says he noticed a “dramatic drop” in business
at Baselworld and took the decision two years ago to
leave, saying he had “no regrets as even the Swatch
Group has dropped out”. “If a watch company has
decided to drop out then that says a lot about the state
of Baselworld,” he adds.
It’s a view echoed by Steve Brookes, sales manager
at jewellery brand Charles Green. “We stopped
Baselworld because we went a little naively the first
time, in 2016,” he says. “We turned up and didn’t
‘‘
Although I would
say the value
in coming here
is not what it
used to be, and
there is so much
competition with
the internet and
the modern way
of doing business.
I think is it still
so relevant?
Probably not -
the footfall is
down and being
here overall is
expensive. You
have to weigh up
the benefits and
what it is actually
costing you.
‘‘
Philip Kydd,
of Philip Kydd Gold
& Silversmiths
20 JEWELLERY FOCUS
October 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk