The move means Showcase members will be able to attend education days and formal meetings within the ICC venue prior to the Fair, with the annual members’ dinner held on 23 August and buying beginning the following day.
The IJWF will be held from 24–26 August at the ICC Darling Harbour in Sydney.
Gary Fitz-Roy, managing director Expertise Events, praised Showcase for the decision, adding: “We welcome this new co-operation with open arms. It has been my ultimate aim to have a truly united buying Fair for the last 20 years, and to achieve it when the industry needs it the most is a dream come true.”
Carson Webb, general manager of Showcase Jewellers, said: “We are pleased we have been able to make changes that benefit the whole industry and are committed to the future in working co-operatively for everyone’s benefit.”
Fitz-Roy also thanked Colin Polkington, managing director Nationwide Jewellers who made compromises to assist in the united approach.
“Nationwide have always operated this way [holding buying days at the Fair], and agreed to certain tweaks to help us achieve the above. These actions demonstrate two groups who have chosen to put their suppliers and members first, and it is a heartening sign for the industry as it rebuilds and bounces back over time,” Fitz-Roy said.
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Buying groups unite for 2019 Sydney Jewellery Fair
Sydney Jewellery Fair: Uniting an industry