The buying group’s upcoming conference will follow the same format as the 2015 event with two keynote speakers and a program of educational workshops.
Crystal Vilkaitis, founder of California-based business Crystal Media and one of this year’s keynote speakers, will return in 2016 to explain how jewellery retailers can integrate social media and mobile marketing strategies into their businesses and the benefits of doing so.
Nationwide managing director Colin Pocklington said Vilkaitis would also present Nationwide-exclusive social media content and demonstrate how those digital templates could be modified for use in jewellers’ social media marketing campaigns.
The second keynote speaker will be Dr Greg Chapman, founder of Melbourne-based Empower Business Solutions. Pocklington said Chapman would show members how to build a marketing system that would turn their business into a “profit machine”.
During the conference, Chapman and Vilkaitis will conduct workshops that complement and expand on their keynote presentations. The educational program will also include a marketing session wherein several Nationwide members will share details of their most successful jewellery promotions.
In addition, Pocklington will offer one-on-one consultations to help members prepare a monthly trading budget and identify other areas in which their business can be improved.
“A few more workshops are likely to be added to the program,” Pocklington noted, adding, “We are working on a few new projects for announcement at the conference.”
Pocklington said he expected more than 200 people to attend the 2016 event.
When asked if he expected record jewellery sales to be achieved at the 2016 buying day, which is held as part of the conference, Pocklington responded, “We are hopeful of doing so but the state of the economy will have an influence.”
The buying group recorded a 58 per cent increase in jewellery orders in 2014 compared to 2013, and this year, sales rose an additional 21 per cent.
The 2016 Nationwide Jewellers conference will take place from 18 to 21 March at the QT Gold Coast hotel in Queensland.
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