The Jewellery Industry Network is set to host the Jewellery Industry Fair in Melbourne on 1-2 February, marking the event’s third occurrence since its launch at the Timberyard in Port Melbourne in 2022.
Having declared previous Timberyard fairs succesful, the 2025 fair is expected to relocate to the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, with the organisers announcing “a fresh start at a new venue.”
However, concerns have been raised around the accuracy of the event’s website, which lists approximately 60 exhibitors as of 25 November.
It has come to light that some of the companies featured on the website will either not be participating in the Melbourne fair, or, at least, have not finalised any booking.
Several companies contacted by Jeweller this week clarified that they are not participating in the event despite being listed on the Jewellery Industry Fair website.
Jeweller contacted Jewellery Industry Network managing director Laura Moore for comment; however, at the time of publication, she had not replied.
This latest uncertainty echoes similar issues around a Jewellery Industry Network event in Sydney earlier this year.
In response to concerns over misleading claims, Jeweller published a detailed multi-part series that examined discrepancies in the exhibitor list and marketing materials for that event.
Additionally, the Jewellery Industry Network has previously faced scrutiny for misleading or deceptive advertising. A brochure promoting the 2023 Jewellery Industry Fair included several questionable statements, leading to a clarification in July 2023 from Moore.
This controversy resulted in a costly legal dispute, with a Federal Court case estimated to have cost Moore and fellow director Angkham (Andy) Phanthapangna between $80,000 and $100,000.
Speculation around Sydney
The aforementioned Jewellery Trade Shows series provided a comprehensive analysis of the Jewellery Industry Network's decision to pit the newcomer event against the traditional International Jewellery Fair, hosted by Expertise Events.
In its second year, the Jewellery Industry Fair at the Carriageworks venue was deliberately scheduled to take place on the same weekend as the International Jewellery Fair in Darling Harbour.
At the time, this publication noted that, as a matter of transparency, when the Jewellery Industry Fair announces its dates for its Sydney trade show in 2025, the series would be updated to include this information.
As at today (26 November), the event’s website has not been updated with dates and/or a venue for 2025.
Jeweller contacted Moore seeking an update on this matter; however, she has not replied at the time of publication.
As previously reported, Expertise Events confirmed that the International Jewellery Fair will return to Darling Harbour on 23-25 August next year.
Having declared that the 2024 Jewellery Industry Fair was a ‘resounding success', whether Moore and Phanthapangna schedule another date clash next year remains to be seen.
Non-existent exhibitors: Jewellery Industry Fair website page
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Jewellery Trade Shows VI: Apologies and industry division
Jewellery Trade Shows V: Measure twice, cut once
Jewellery Trade Shows IV: Sydney’s confused jewellery commuters
Jewellery Trade Shows III: More facts and figures without ‘spin’
Jewellery Trade Shows II: Is all ‘fair’ in love and war?
Jewellery Trade Shows I: The facts and figures without puffery