The fair will take place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre at Broadbeach from Sunday 23 March to Monday 24 March 2014.
As previously reported by Jeweller, organisers decided to consolidate the Melbourne and Brisbane shows in 2014 in response to exhibitor and visitor feedback.
The research reportedly found that while many believed two fairs were unnecessary given the current economic climate, suppliers and retailers still wanted an event held in the same period after Christmas in order to top up supplies for the upcoming year.
At the time, Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy confirmed that the fair would be held in Brisbane, with Melbourne being effectively cut. The Sydney event would remain as is.
“The decision to maintain Brisbane is predicated on its long establishment and the fact that most Queenslanders are less likely to travel interstate to a trade fair,” he said.
Following further contemplation, however, organisers have decided that the Gold Coast would be a more appropriate venue in 2014.
“The final underpinning reason for going to the Gold Coast was that if we’re only going to have one show at the beginning of the year, we should put it in a destination that combines business with pleasure,” Fitz-Roy told Jeweller.
This is not the first time the jewellery fair has been held on the Gold Coast. The show took place there in 2006 and was reportedly quite successful.
Fitz-Roy added that the revised location was often seen as a desirable destination for professional meetings and made note of the buying group’s events that have been held there.
Dubbed Australia’s number one “stay and play” destination for business travellers, the Gold Coast is said to provide access to a local market population of almost 3 million people within a two-hour radius, and is also an attractive and easy-to-reach destination for international and interstate visitors to the fair.
A floor plan for the 2014 Gold Coast show will be released shortly.
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