Expertise Events has signed a new 5-year agreement with the JAA
JAA re-signs with Expertise Events
Posted August 30, 2011 | By Deborah Jane Goon
Following a successive 20-year working relationship between Expertise Events and the Jeweller’s Association of Australia (JAA), a renewed contract has been signed for the Australian jewellery fairs for the next five years.
JAA CEO Ian Hadassin explained that the current JAA International Jewellery Fair is the last fair under the contract and, “the new contract with Expertise Events takes us through to 2016.”
This contract renewal came in time to celebrate the opening of the 2011 Sydney fair and also marks the 20th anniversary of the fair itself.
“As the peak industry body representing the whole of the jewellery industry, the JAA relies on membership fees and other income streams from strategic industry partners like Expertise Events.
“The Australian fairs not only bring retailers and suppliers together three times a year, the fairs provide valuable income to the JAA to promote and improve the wider [jewellery] industry,” Hadassin said.
“In recent years the JAA has become a much stronger and more cohesive association and with addition to the Board of the managing directors of each of the major three buying groups, the JAA now represents over 1200 retail stores,” Hadassin said.
In addition to the renewed partnership, the JAA Board has also formed a trade fair sub committee that will work with Expertise Events to facilitate new ideas and initiatives for both retail visitors and exhibitors alike.
Nationwide Jewellers managing director and JAA director Colin Pocklington said it was important for large events like the Sydney fair to be managed by independent, professional event organisers.
“The JAA is committed to the further development of the Australian jewellery fairs with Expertise Events for the benefit of the entire industry. Therefore it’s important that the fairs are organised for, and on behalf of retail buyers because trade events organised by suppliers often fall short of buyer expectations,” Pocklington said.
Pocklington also added that trade fairs should focus on the buyer - not the seller and, “only with the assistance of experts in their field like Expertise Events can we expect to have an event of international standard as the JAA International Jewellery Fair is today.”
According to Hadassin, the new 5-year contract with Expertise Events will mean many of the new JAA initiatives including a planned study into the apprenticeship and sales trainee schemes currently offered to the jewellery industry throughout Australia, will be assured.
Commenting on the new contract last Friday, Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy said, “We have come a long way since our first fair in 1992 where we could only manage less than half a hall at Darling Harbour. Not only are we proud of what we have achieved, I am very proud of what we contribute back to the JAA and the wider industry in cash and ‘kind’.
“The Australian jewellery industry has managed to remain a unified force under the JAA banner for a long time and perhaps that is best illustrated by us [Expertise Events] being able to secure the attendance of the three buying groups who all arrange their annual activities around the Sydney fair,’ Fitz-Roy said.
The 2011 JAA International Jewellery Fair closes today.