The inaugural Thailand Gems and Jewelry Fair (TGJF) was due to take place this year between 7 and 11 September; however, the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA), which is behind the new show, announced it would be postponed until 2017.
“Due to a dispute that had risen regarding the venue, the TGJTA is unable to secure the necessary space to organise the fair during the stated timeframe,” TGJTA president Suttipong Damrongsakul said.
“We had hoped to resolve the issue by now but unfortunately, despite our full efforts we regretfully were unable to within the necessary timeframe, despite our full readiness and preparations.”
Focus has shifted to planning and securing another exhibition space to hold the new fair in 2017.
“We are highly confident that this move will enable us to ensure greater benefits and a much better fair for our membership and the Thai gem and jewellery industry.”
The news arguably caused some confusion given the ‘traditional’ Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair (BGJF) – the 58th edition - owned by the Thai government’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), was also scheduled to take place from 7 to 11 September at the same venue as the TGJF show.
To complicate matters further, up until recently, the TGJTA held the rights to organise the government owned BGJF – including the 57th edition of the event that took place in February this year.
The Bangkok Post reported in May that the TGJTA decided to conduct its own (first) show, which would run at the same time and at the same complex, the IMPACT Exhibition Centre in Bangkok, as the 58th BGJF.
At the time, Suttipong was reported as saying the trade body had “held the fair [BGJF] since 1999 and saw it as essential to continue holding the event as planned to maintain confidence among domestic and foreign buyers”.
The DITP has since released a statement emphasising that the 58th BGJF will go ahead as planned.
Plans to bolster industry
The BGJF is held twice a year and at the most recent event in February it was announced that from 2017 onwards both shows would be rescheduled to January and August rather than their regular slots in February and September. The decision was made partly to set the shows further apart from the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, which is normally held in those months.
It was hoped decoupling the Bangkok and Hong Kong fairs would aid efforts to rejuvenate the Thai gemstones and jewellery industry so it could compete on international markets.
A BGJF spokesperson has since confirmed to Jeweller that the decision to reschedule would not go ahead, stating: "The 59th Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, which is organised by DITP, has been scheduled for next year on February 22-26, 2017 at Impact, Muang Thong Thani."
The February BGJF had around 1,500 exhibitors, which was a decline from previous events. In comparison, this year’s Hong Kong show featured around 2,400 exhibitors.
Suttipong said an update on the rearranged TGJF event, especially date and venue, would be given as soon as possible.
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