Scheduled across Australia early in the New Year, Nationwide Jewellers, Showcase Jewellers, and Independent Jewellers Collective (IJC) have organised a variety of activities surrounding the newly created retail buying events.
Colin Pocklington, managing director Nationwide Jewellers, confirmed that his buying group would have a presence at all events: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth.
“The Trade Days will provide an excellent opportunity for our members to top up stock, following several months of surprisingly good trading levels,” he told Jeweller.
“Two or three Nationwide staff will be in attendance at each of the Trade Days to assist members with how our Trade Day six-month interest free finance can be used for orders with our participating preferred suppliers, how to use their reward points under our new Member Reward Scheme, our new jewellery replacement insurance scheme, and the new feature on our websites allowing customers to design their own jewellery and request a quote,” Pocklington added.
Gary Fitz-Roy, managing director Expertise Events, praised Nationwide’s “proactive” approach in supporting the national events, saying the presence at each of the Trade Days would allow them to interact with every member in each of the states.
The first event will take place in Sydney on 20–21 February at the ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour and will mark 18 months since the last industry trade fair, which took place in August 2019.
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“As much as people have tried, online and virtual trade shows have been a dismal failure. COVID has shown that people want face-to-face meetings and personal interaction, and the touch and feel of jewellery products is essential in the buying decision.
“You can’t do that 'virtually', so it’s time to get back to celebrating the people and products of the Australian jewellery industry, in person!” Fitz-Roy said.
Showcase Jewellers has also confirmed its support by hosting a two-day member’s meeting before the Sydney Trade Day (18–19 February).
In addition, Showcase has obtained exclusive access for its members to the fair floor to conduct buying from 1-pm to 6pm on the Friday before the event opens. They will also attend the Trade Day over the weekend.
Carson Webb, general manager of Showcase Jewellers said the group had “decided to fully support the February 20th and 21st Trade Day in Sydney. We will conduct a member’s meeting on the 18th and a half-day on the 19th and then we will utilise the one venue for a supplier’s day along with our two buying days. So all Showcase buying will be held in the one location at ICC.”
He added, “We believe suppliers should really benefit from our full support. It’s [Trade Day format] kept simple, costs are manageable, and a perfect time to re-engage and connect again with all your friends and business partners. Strategising early for 2021 is paramount. Our members know trade has been fabulous out there, so by February, it should be perfect timing for reconnecting.”
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Josh Zarb, CEO IJC, told Jeweller, “We had been looking to host our first IJC conference since May this year – so when we saw the Sydney Trade Days and the dates in February, it was a perfect opportunity.
“It is convenient and cost-effective for our supplier partners, and it gives our retail partners [members] another reason to come to Sydney. We are hosting the conference in the two days prior, and then the retailers will visit the Trade Days and the Gift Fair as well, which is an added bonus for them.
“We are going to be offering our own two days of training, support, and launching new initiatives, so it makes perfect sense for members to then be able to look at their buying and to utilise the services of the Trade Days – and I think it will suit them really well,” Zarb added.
The members’ conference will incorporate keynote speakers, training programmes, the launch of several new initiatives for 2021, as well as the IJC Mother’s Day promotion and marketing campaign.
Fitz-Roy said no “trading tables” or separate buying would take place at the IJC and Showcase conferences, leaving members free to take in all the Trade Days have to offer. At the time of publication, IJC was also considering taking part in the Trade Days beyond Sydney.
Nationwide has also committed to subsidise the exhibition stand cost for its preferred supplier members to attend Trade Days, as a way to help kick-start the industry following the pandemic.
With the 2020 International Jewellery & Watch Fair cancelled due to the COVID-19 and limited opportunities for jewellers to interact and connect with the broader industry – let alone re-stock and discover new product lines – the Trade Days format is designed to fill a void and reset for the New Year.
IJC has also scheduled its inaugural members’ conference to coincide with the Sydney Trade Days and the Sydney Gift & Lifestyle Fair.
“Throughout this year, we have tried to take a sensible approach that puts retailers, manufacturers and distributors first. So the Trade Days make a lot of sense – for Melbourne in particular – in terms of building confidence, and in providing an opportunity to reconnect,” Fitz-Roy explained.
He added, “Jewellery is one of the sectors that appears to have benefited and done quite well during COVID-19 – unlike a number of others. But I think what's really important is to acknowledge that we need to get through Christmas and New Year. This gives the appropriate time for that to happen and it gives us time to get everything right for everyone coming to those events.”
The Trade Days schedule is:
- Sydney: 20–21 February at ICC Sydney Convention Centre
- Gold Coast: 7–8 March at TBA
- Melbourne: 20–22 March at Melbourne Exhibition Centre
- Adelaide: 27–28 March at Adelaide Convention Centre
- Perth: 10–11 April at Perth Convention Centre
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