In addition to relocating to the Gold Coast – a change from its usual location in Brisbane – the fair will, for the first time, offer an Ask The Expert lounge where visitors will be able to receive one-on-one consultations with top business advisors.
Debra Templar of The Templar Group and Bryan Young of Retail Rescue will be available both days of the fair (Sunday 23 March to Monday 24 March) to provide free, tailored advice to visitors on the latest retail strategies, industry knowledge and solutions for customer relationship management, upselling and engagement.
Gary Fitz-Roy, managing director of Australian Jewellery Fair organiser Fair Events, said “the private discussions will be an ideal opportunity for retailers to gain targeted advice”.
The inaugural annual Jewellery Industry Awards will also be hosted during this year’s show, with the award gala dinner to be held on Sunday.
These national, independent awards will recognise retailer excellence and celebrate the people and companies within the jewellery industry. As previously reported by Jeweller, the competition differs from traditional jewellery awards by focusing on the people and businesses that make up the industry, instead of on jewellery design.
Education spotlight
The trade show will once again feature the Spotlight Learning Exchange sessions that proved popular at last year’s International Jewellery Fair in Sydney.
Fitz-Roy said the informal setting – the presentations by industry experts take place on the show floor – allowed for more exchange between the speakers and fair visitors.
In addition, he explained that new topic discussions had been added to the Gold Coast fair that would offer visitors the opportunity to develop their skills and increase their knowledge.
“We have specifically designed the program to give retailers important, strategic advice and everyday ideas to improve their retail results,” Fitz-Roy said.
Topics to be covered range from advice on increasing sales, customer service and retail marketing strategies, to specialist expert presentations covering a broad range of industry sectors.
JAA Seminars
The Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA) will be hosting two important seminars as part of the Spotlight sessions.
The “Why you need to know the Consumer Law” seminar, which will be held from 1:30pm to 2:00pm on both days of the fair, will provide clarity on the recent Zamel’s case, the impact it’s had on the jewellery industry and fair trading laws.
JAA Code of Conduct Committee chair and seminar presenter Colin Pocklington said that although the Zamel’s decision gives additional legal clarity to two-price advertising, other aspects remain unclear. However, Pocklington noted that the court decision is far reaching, and affects every sector of the retail industry.
Pocklington will also be presenting another seminar, “How to build your business by building trust”, at 2:00pm to 2:30pm on both Sunday and Monday. The seminar will explain how the Accreditation Program that the JAA intends to launch this year can help retailers by labelling their business as what JAA president Selwyn Brandt refers to as “a store that provides the highest standards of customer service – definitely a jewellery store that consumers can trust”.
According to the association, a JAA-accredited retailer will be a store that has been trading for over five years, that adheres to the JAA Code of Conduct, and has staff who are well trained in sales service, product knowledge and consumer law.
“The JAA Accreditation program is initially being aimed at retail shops. Once it is successfully up and running for retailers, it may be extended to cover suppliers and service providers,” Pocklington said.
The Australian Jewellery Fair will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday and 10:00am to 3:00pm on Monday.
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