While Monday morning was notably quieter than opening day of the JAA International Jewellery Fair on Sunday, it didn’t appear to take long for the show floor to start filling with visitors.
Many exhibitors reported greater success on the second day’s trading than the first day.
Timesupply managing director Ken Abbott explained that he was surprised by the strong results achieved on Monday – especially considering the success the supplier experienced on the previous day in which he says he received the first order within two minutes of the fair opening.
“Sunday was a record for us in terms of sales but then we beat that record today [Monday] which was a bit of a shock,” he said, adding, “We’ve exhibited at about four or five Sydney fairs before but this year has definitely been a record show for us.”
Designa Accessories also had a particularly successful day of trading yesterday.
“Dollar wise, Monday has been better than Sunday - we’ve had some big accounts today,” Designa Accessories managing director Justin Veil said.
When asked to describe his feelings about this year’s show, Veil commented that it had been “better than good. Not great, but definitely better than good.” He added that the Guess and Maxum brands had performed particularly well along with Trollbeads, which the supplier gained distribution rights for a few months ago.
Himalayan Treasures was another supplier that had experienced a “record” fair, with director Brendan Wilson explaining, “We had a record first day yesterday for any Australian fair that we’ve ever exhibited at.”
Peter W Beck marketing manager Laura Sawade said that Sunday trading was very good and while Monday had not been as busy, retailers still appeared to be really positive. She added that attendees were showing great interest in the exhibitor’s new Spectrum wedding ring range that uses new ceramic material Hy Ceram.
As previously reported by Jeweller, Kagi and Bolton Gems had also experienced strong starts to the fair.
Kagi founder and designer Kat Gee stated that the show had “probably been our best fair to date,” while Bolton Gems general manager Jaclyn Carr made particular reference to the large stream of visitors. Georgini managing director Gina Kougias was another who noted the “fantastic buzz” on the show floor.
The upbeat visitor sentiment also extended to the display and packaging category, with Kenneth Ayres sales manager David Walsh explaining that his stand had been surprisingly busy with a steady stream of “genuine” buyers. Meanwhile, Imajpak’s John Paxinos said he was particularly happy with trade on Sunday: “We had all of our staff members writing orders on Sunday for a straight four hours.”
While the majority of exhibitors have said they were pleasantly surprised by the results and visitor turn-out, some some stated that the show had not been as successful as previous years. Searay director Ron Loccisano explained that although the foot traffic and business made on Sunday was on par with previous years, he felt numbers were definitely down on Monday, while Soklich & Co manager Phyllis Soklich believed that the decrease in her orders might have been due to the new Glebe Island venue, which is more difficult to reach than Darling Harbour.
Allure South Sea Pearls managing director Lindsay Youd stated that while Monday had been quieter than Sunday it “wasn’t necessarily about how much you sell but the contacts that you make. I think it’s all worth it as long as you’re speaking to the right people. We’ve found that both retailers and consumers are looking for quality right now which is great for us.”
Networking was also a high priority for first time exhibitor Adam Young, director for Homage Personalised Jewellery.
“I see the fair as not only a good opportunity to network with other suppliers, but more importantly to meet our retailers face-to-face instead of just being on the other end of a telephone call,” Young said. “We’ve had really good feedback and have also had a few new business opportunities, so it’s all quite positive.”
Other things to see and do
Just like the first day of the fair, the additional seminars and interactive displays scheduled throughout the event appeared to have generated much interest among show attendees yesterday.
Pandora Australia and New Zealand president David Allen’s presentation on strengthening consumer loyalty, for example, was well attended, as was US-based Jimmy De Groot’s seminar on boosting profits through marketing.
The Meet the Designer interactive discussion with the JAA Australasian Jewellery Awards finalists also proved to be a popular session. The initiative was introduced this year and allowed visitors to hear from a number of the design award entrants who discussed the inspirations and challenges that they faced when creating their pieces.
Winners were announced later that evening at a special awards ceremony (see separate story).
A host of scheduled activities have also been planned for the final day of the jewellery fair, including:
• 11:30am – Jewellers Bench demonstration of claw and rubover setting
• 11:30am and 1:30pm – Hottest bridal trends live on the catwalk final presentation about closing sales
• 12:00pm – Nic Cerrone, A guide to the industry’s future design directions
• 12:30pm – World Famous Diamonds, The evolution of diamond cutting
• 1:00pm – Jimmy De Groot’s, The right finale: closing sales with ease
• 2:00pm – Five trends affecting retail and selling to the eight different buyer styles
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SECOND DAY