Highlights of the Brisbane jewellery fair

Posted March 23, 2010 |

Positive reviews, a new networking tool for jewellers, and allegations of sneaky rogue sellers were the big stories to come out of last week's jewellery fair in Brisbane.

Reports from the JAA Australian Jewellery Fair indicate positive feedback, despite a slight drop in visitor numbers from 2009.

While space at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre was sold-out late last year and featured over 100 exhibitors, 21 per cent of whom were first-timers, visitor numbers were down.

Although the drop was small (41 people) according to fair organiser, Gary Fitz-Roy, it was most likely caused by a general lull in the market after Christmas: "Retail sales were down in January and February. The market ultimately affects fair numbers and buying," he said.

JAA CEO Ian Hadassin believed the smaller crowd allowed for more one-on-one time: "The JAA had more interaction with its members," he said.

And whilst the drop is almost insignificant, Fitz-Roy was disappointed given the increased marketing and promotion he undertook preceding the event but he was extremely happy with one objective: to gain a more even distribution of visitors across the two days.

Unlike previous years where there were vast fluctuations between busy and slow periods throughout the day, visitor numbers this year were more evenly-divided between the two days, according to Fitz-Roy.

"The weekend format we chose allowed for a more even spread of visitors. We saw 49 per cent attend on Saturday, and 51 per cent on Sunday. If you compare that with last year’s figures – 66 per cent on Sunday and 34 per cent on Monday – you see we achieved our goal of evening-out the attendance."

New to the fair this year was the Careerlinks initiative, an area aimed at encouraging discussion and networking between exhibitors and buyers.

Fitz-Roy said that while a number of companies and organisations linked-up over the weekend as a result of the initiative, the real test of Careerlinks’ success would be in the follow-through after the event.

Allegations that one or two rogue sellers attempted to "ambush market" during the show was of concern to Fitz-Roy. Ambush marketing is a marketing campaign that takes place around an event but does not involve payment of a sponsorship fee to the event.

"Ambush marketing poses a huge risk to the credibility of the industry. The fair directly contributes financially back to the trade, not only through the JAA, but also through supporting emerging designers," he said.

"Anyone who attempts to attend our events as a visitor to try to sell product or, worse still, sets-up sales events in nearby hotels, cheapens the industry and sends a bad message to buyers."

Moreover, according to Fitz-Roy, the practice takes potential revenue out of genuine exhibitor’s pockets.

"Prompt action will be taken to protect the fair and our exhibitors, including potential lifetime bans from our other events if proof of ambush marketing is discovered,” he said.

“The JAA Australian Jewellery Fair is a tightly-secured event; off premise ambushing creates a huge security risk, leaving everyone vulnerable”.

A full report on the fair will follow in the May edition of Jeweller Magazine.

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