TRADE SHOWS
October 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
‘‘
The number
of orders you
take at shows
has definitely
decreased - it has
become more of
a flag-waving
exercise with
customers coming
to see what’s new
and then book
appointments
with the reps
for later in the
year. The days of
actually writing
an order at the
show are few and
far between.
‘‘
know what to expect, we saw
mainly existing customers as
opposed to new customers, which
is fine, and it raised our profile a
little bit.
“But it was very obvious to us
that this wasn’t a jewellery show
anymore, this was a watch show.
People were coming to us having
done their Rolex, Omega and Tag
appointments, who had given
their money to those people and
had nothing left to spend with us.
The second year in 2017 the floor
above us was completely closed,
220 exhibitors down, we weren’t
going to go in 2018 because it was
only shrinking.”
Such whispers led to the
resignation of René Kamm CEO
of MCH Group, which runs the
event, in August, after nearly 20
years at the group. Kamm was
said to have played a crucial role
in the creation of Baselworld
and his departure, coupled with
Swatch’s announcement, led to
questions around the future of the
show. In a statement that followed
Kamm’s resignation, MCH said:
“[The] Swatch Group announced
Lee Ruben,
managing director
at Gemex
via Sunday’s media publications
its decision not to participate in
the Baselworld 2019, a decision
MCH Group deeply regrets.
Although it does not generally
question the continuation of
the Baselworld trade fair, the
withdrawal of this important
exhibitor has led to questions
concerning the consequences for
MCH Group’s results.
“Those
responsible
for
Baselworld
are
engaged
in
intensive exchange with major
segment
representatives
and
have created a solid basis for a
successful Baselworld 2019 in the
form of conceptual innovations.
The decision by Swatch Group not
to participate in Baselworld 2019
will have an effect on the results for
2019 that are as yet inestimable.
“The question here is whether
a additional value adjustment
on the exhibition premises
in Basel will be necessary. As
stated in a communication from
February 2018, this depends
on the future utilisation of the
exhibition premises’ capacity and
the success of the events it hosts.
The corresponding estimation is
subject to continuous review.”
That the very existence of
Baselworld’s is alluded to by its
owners’ statement indicates the
value on trade shows placed by
those in the industry seems to be
shifting. It poses the question: are
trade shows still relevant?
THE STATE OF IJL
Philip Kydd, founder of Philip
Kydd Gold & Silversmiths has
been attending the show “on
and off” since the mid-80s, but
dropped it for a few years and
only started coming back around
six years ago when the show was
still held at the (now demolished)
Earls Court centre. He says the
main reason he stopped attending
the first time was due to “a distinct
decline in sales”, both in terms of
visitors and in “actually taking
orders - the two things you come
for”. Kydd decided to “give it
a rest” for one year and instead
focused on visiting his customers
in person instead, which he
said “worked very well”, and
continued to do so for a few years.
JEWELLERY FOCUS
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