The Jewellery Industry Network has confirmed significant changes to the dates and venues of two events, one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne.
More importantly, the upcoming Jewellery Industry Fair in Sydney has set aside a day at its fair for the public to attend, allowing suppliers to sell directly to consumers. It’s a move that has already faced criticism from within the trade.
It’s another sudden change in strategy for the event organiser, and it will challenge the ‘traditional’ model for jewellery industry fairs.
The move follows the Jewellery Industry Network’s bold and controversial strategy in 2024 to deliberately create a clash of dates with the incumbent International Jewellery Fair, organised by Expertise Events.
Many people questioned the logic behind hosting two competing jewellery fairs in the same city on the same days. The question was asked: Who does this arrangement really benefit?
Now, the Jewellery Industry Network has a new strategy – inviting consumers to attend its Sydney trade event. In what may be described as an unintended consequence, some suppliers will effectively be competing against retailers (their customers) by selling directly to consumers under the roof of an industry fair.
According to some retail jewellery experts, a great deal is at stake in this new business model, including the potential to upend long-term relationships between suppliers and retailers.
Why the dramatic change?
Over the past year, Jeweller has documented the ‘rivalry’ between the 30-year International Jewellery Fair (Expertise Events) and the Jewellery Industry Fair (Jewellery Industry Network).
While the origins of this controversial competition date back nearly a decade, the decision by the Jewellery Industry Network to schedule its event directly in conflict with the established trade show last year demanded a deeper analysis.
For the first time, suppliers were effectively forced to choose between two events on the same days in the same city, causing confusion and controversy. Ultimately, the Jewellery Industry Network’s strategy resulted in significant industry division.
With that in mind, the analysis of the two events last year aimed to provide retail buyers and suppliers with a clear understanding of what to expect from the two simultaneous trade shows by presenting the facts.
That is, it was important to compare both jewellery fairs on a like-for-like basis without any marketing ‘spin’ or puffery from the respective organisers.
The scheduling conflict raised many questions that the jewellery industry had previously been asked to answer. After the dust had settled, two things became apparent. Collateral damage is inevitable when an industry is divided, and most people dislike being forced to choose between two options.
With that said, Jewellery Industry Network managing director Laura Moore determined in March that a scheduling conflict between the Jewellery Industry Fair and the International Jewellery Fair would not take place this year.
Interestingly, despite claims that last year’s event was a ‘resounding success’, the Jewellery Industry Network has announced significant changes to its formula, with a new schedule and venue marking notable changes to its business model.
These changes aren’t exclusive to the Sydney event, and some unexpected changes to the Melbourne event have also been ‘quietly’ confirmed.
With that said, the decision to allow consumers to attend its upcoming Sydney Fair has already been questioned, causing angst and unrest among retailers and suppliers.
What’s new this year?
As previously reported, the two Sydney events are five weeks apart this year – the International Jewellery Fair will take place from 23 to 25 August, and the Jewellery Industry Fair from 25 to 27 September.
The Jewellery Industry Fair’s ‘Exhibitor Prospectus’ explains the new formula of the Sydney event.
In a somewhat confusing manner, the front page lists the dates as 25-27 September, which would be Thursday through Saturday. The brochure then indicates that the first day of the fair is 26 September (Friday).
This minor point aside, the brochure also explains that all exhibitors are encouraged to participate in a ‘consumer day’, where suppliers can sell directly to consumers.
“The Jewellery Industry Network is extending the invitation to all jewellery and watch companies who sell direct to the consumer, to participate in a consumer day on Sunday the 28 of September in Sydney,” it explains.
“Bookings for this event can be made as part of the Trade Fair, or alternatively, for those only selling to the Consumer, bookings can be made for the Sunday only”. [Italic emphasis added]
The Jewellery Industry Fair’s decision to open its doors to the general public marks a significant shift in strategy, with potential ramifications for exhibitors and retailers and the wider industry.
What are the concerns?
Jeweller spoke with several jewellery retail experts about an industry trade show being open to the public, and all raised concerns about the decision.
The most obvious issue is that retailers may, rightly or wrongly, feel threatened or sidelined by suppliers that sell directly to consumers at a trade show otherwise intended for business-to-business (B2B) channels.
By combining business-to-consumer (B2C) sales activity under the one roof, a competitive dynamic is created, rather than a collaborative partnership. Few jewellers are in favour of their suppliers competing against them by selling to the same customers.
Explained in simple terms, each stakeholder – supplier, retailer, and consumer – has a defined position in the broader supply chain. When suppliers sell directly to consumers, the retailers are removed from the equation, and are justifiably unhappy.
It is not unusual for retailers to cease purchasing products from or trading with suppliers that also sell directly to consumers. Wholesalers can also run the risk of losing their ‘preferred supplier’ status from the three influential jewellery buying groups.
Approximately 600 independent jewellery stores are represented by the buying groups, and each aims to safeguard the market for its members. Consequently, they do not look favourably on suppliers competing with their own retail members.
» Background reading: Moore and Phanthapangna in Federal Court of Australia
Interestingly, one retail expert said that a supplier selling ‘generic’ jewellery directly to a consumer may escape industry scrutiny if the product is not branded. Conversely, a supplier selling branded jewellery directly to a consumer was jokingly described as facing a reputational ‘death sentence’.
Other issues, such as increased security requirements and insurance costs, have been raised, along with several other concerns. Nefarious actors – primarily thieves and shoplifters – are typically prevented from attending B2B trade events by a visitor registration screening process.
Conversely, jewellery fairs which are open to consumers can be attended by anyone and everyone, increasing the opportunity for criminals to attend. This can also have consequences for insurance policies.
These issues aside, for retailers, the concerns about consumers buying directly from wholesalers are understandable – they are now competing for sales with the companies from which they buy their products. For suppliers, the risk of jeopardising long-term relationships with jewellery store owners is unappealing.
As has previously been reported, Jeweller anticipated potential changes to the Jewellery Industry Fair following controversies caused by last year’s deliberate date conflict.
It has also been repeatedly emphasised that competition in any market is beneficial and that there may indeed be a need for a second trade show. The structure and circumstances of such a show, however, remain up for debate.
Allowing consumers to attend an industry trade event is clearly another risky ‘gamble’ by the management of the Jewellery Industry Network.
Why do dates matter?
As noted, the Jewellery Industry Network’s change in strategy and formula this year has fortunately eliminated the need for suppliers and retailers to choose between one event over another.
More importantly, it removes some of the predictable controversies from last year caused by the deliberate scheduling conflict.
With that said, the new date and venue for the Jewellery Industry Fair in Sydney may conjure unfamiliar and perhaps unforeseen issues.
In simple terms, the traditional mid-to-late August dates of the International Jewellery Fair have been coordinated with industry suppliers for 30 years. The dates are set to allow both suppliers and retailers to focus on the Christmas and New Year trading periods.
This is because suppliers consider dates before mid-to-late August to be too early, as new collections and samples may not have been finalised. Conversely, dates after mid-to-late August are considered too late, as new product delivery before December becomes difficult to guarantee.
With that in mind, it remains to be seen how retailers and suppliers will approach the new end-of-September schedule for the Jewellery Industry Fair.
Indeed, the decision to allow consumers into the industry fair could indicate that less importance is being placed on the traditional sales cycle, and it may no longer be considered a relevant factor.
If correct, this latest atttempt to alter the ‘landscape’ of jewellery trade shows in Australia is worth analysing.
The Jewellery Industry Network’s reasoning for changing the date of the Jewellery Industry Fair in Sydney – the second scheduling change in three years – remains unclear. Jeweller contacted managing director Laura Moore and provided an opportunity to contribute to this report; however, she did not respond.
Readers are therefore left to draw their own conclusions regarding the various date and venue changes of the Jewellery Industry Fair.
2025: Compare the pair
Given the dramatic changes this year, along with the controversial decision to combine an industry event with a consumer event, it’s worth comparing the two events on a like-for-like basis, as was done last year.
In terms of attendees, last year the International Jewellery Fair reported 3,996 visitors (retail buyers). In contrast, the Jewellery Industry Fair reported 800 ‘guests’ - although it is unknown whether all ‘guests’ are retail buyers.
A ‘visitor’ is defined as a retail buyer of jewellery products or services, therefore the figure does not include staff of exhibiting companies.
Expertise Events' data goes deeper. Last year, 39 'walk throughs' took place - people who have expressed an interest in exhibiting in the future. They are escorted through the fair floor by Expertise Events staff to review the event.
It’s essential for retailers and suppliers to have an accurate understanding of the two trade fairs, one that cuts through any misleading ‘spin’ and/or puffery sometimes employed by event organisers.
For example, as previously reported, some event organisers attempt to inflate the number of exhibitors at a jewellery fair to make it more appealing to visitors. Some publish an ‘exhibitor list' based on brands, rather than stands.
One company can be listed many times based on the number of brands it distributes, despite the company having only one ‘stand’. The logic is simple - the more exhibitors, the more reason for buyers to attend.
A like-for-like analysis, therefore, aims to ensure that any marketing puffery is exposed, providing an accurate comparison of the number of companies exhibiting, rather than the number of products or brands.
Following the 2024 events, a like-for-like comparison shows that the International Jewellery Fair closed with 151 supplier exhibitors, while the Jewellery Industry Fair featured 37.
In addition to these figures, Jewellery Industry Fair listed director-related businesses as exhibitors and sponsors. This means that companies owned by Moore and co-director Angkham (Andy) Phanthapangna were promoted as sponsors of another business owned by the duo.
A business owned by Moore’s father, Jeff Sawade, was also listed as an exhibitor.
The like-for-like methodology addresses these issues, and this year, there is more reason for closer analysis, as some businesses on the Jewellery Industry Fair exhibitor list appear to be part of the so-called consumer day.
Jeweller screen captured the website pages of both fairs on three occasions - 30 June, 11 July and 18 July - to ensure accuracy over several weeks.
From the first analysis on 30 June, to the third on 18 July, the International Jewellery Fair added 10 exhibitors while the Jewellery Industry Fair added one.
Therefore, as at 18 July, the International Jewellery Fair recorded 144 industry supplier exhibitors while the Jewellery Industry Fair recorded 41.
| 2025 Sydney Event | Supplier Exhibitors | Associations / Other | Director Related Companies | Other / Duplicated | Total |
| International Jewellery Fair | 144 | 3 | | 2 | 149 |
| Jewellery Industry Fair | 41 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 50 |
It is worth noting that seven companies that exhibited exclusively at the Jewellery Industry Fair last year are now appearing at the upcoming International Jewellery Fair.
On the other hand, the inverse does not appear to have happened - companies that exhibited exclusively at the International Jewellery Fair have not moved to the Jewellery Industry Fair.
For transparency, it should be noted that it is not uncommon for late bookings to be made at any trade fair, so the chart above should not be viewed as the final result.
The change in the timing of the event should also be noted, as the upcoming Jewellery Industry Fair is scheduled five weeks later than last year’s trade show. This factor could be reflected in its current exhibitor list.
One additional point should be made, which affects the appearance of the Jewellery Industry Fair exhibitor list.
‘Between The Lugs’ is a small boutique watch ‘show’ primarily targeting consumers. Launched last year, it is operated by Mad & Associates, a distributor of watches, furniture, and eyewear with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Switzerland.
The Jewellery Industry Fair includes the watch companies exhibiting at the Between The Lugs show on its website exhibitor list.
Again, as a way to avoid puffery, the like-for-like comparison above does not include these companies. (See Methodology Footnote below)
What happened in Melbourne?
The confusion about the Jewellery Industry Network’s Melbourne trade show is also particularly interesting.
Having described and promoted the Timber Yards as a “magnificent stage” for the Melbourne Jewellery Industry Fair, this year it was relocated to the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. Now, another change for next year has flown under the radar.
The purpose of trade shows early in the year, after the Christmas and New Year trading season, is to offer retailers a chance to restock and prepare for upcoming sales events, such as Mother’s Day.
This year, the Melbourne Jewellery Industry Fair took place on 1-2 February and was scheduled to return on the same weekend next year: 30 January and 1 February 2026.
The Jewellery Industry Network has been promoting these 2026 dates to exhibitors until as late as May. However, on 30 June, the dates unexpectedly changed and the Melbourne Jewellery Industry Fair will now take place six weeks later: 14-15 March 2026.
There has been little fanfare surrounding this significant change – it’s as if the previous dates never existed.
Given the issues encountered earlier this year, where exhibitors and visitors were forced to endure 40-degree heat, exacerbated by the fact that the Royal Exhibition Building is not air-conditioned, it’s understandable that the Jewellery Industry Network would not want a repeat of that experience.
With that said, if avoiding the possibility of extreme weather is the reason for the change, it remains unclear why it was initially scheduled for the same weekend next year in the first place, and why that date was promoted to exhibitors.
As mentioned, Jeweller contacted Moore seeking an explanation about the confusion; however, at the time of publication, she had not responded.
Sydney-specific or Australia-wide?
These dramatic changes to the Jewellery Industry Network’s strategy and formula are likely to have additional unintended consequences for the industry landscape.
With the Jewellery Industry Fair now taking place in September, five weeks after the International Jewellery Fair in August, it is unlikely to be viewed as a national event.
For decades, the International Jewellery Fair has been positioned as the only national event on the industry calendar. The trade show attracts visitors from across Australia, as well as retail buyers and exhibitors from Asia, New Zealand, Fiji, and other regions.
This is influenced by the active support of three buying groups – Nationwide Jewellers, Showcase Jewellers, and the Independent Jewellers Collective – which draw visitors from across the country to Sydney for the event.
The three groups coordinate their annual activities around the Darling Harbour show.
By not scheduling its event on the same weekend as the International Jewellery Fair, the Jewellery Industry Network cannot capitalise on the collective influence and support of the buying groups, which account for more than 600 stores.
The Jewellery Industry Fair runs the risk of being viewed as a Sydney-only event; it’s unlikely that interstate jewellery retailers, especially those in buying groups, will bear the cost of flights and accommodation to return to Sydney five weeks later.
» Background reading: Shocking controveries and 'attacks' last year
Further, jewellery suppliers will carefully consider the costs and benefits of exhibiting at two events in the same city, to the same audience, only five weeks apart.
These changes to the Jewellery Industry Fair also mean that retailers need to consider the competition from suppliers selling directly to consumers at the event.
Any tension could be intensified by the confined locality of the trade show, which, it would seem, will be exclusive to Sydney.
That is, if a consumers attend the Jewellery Industry Fair and purchase products directly from interstate suppliers, the impact of these ‘lost sales’ is felt exclusively by Sydney jewellery stores, because the consumers are unlikely to live interstate.
The sting in the tail for retailers is that the very audience that the Jewellery Industry Network hopes will attend the first two days of its event – Sydney-based jewellery store owners – is the very same audience that is likely to be negatively impacted by the decision to open the doors to consumers on the third day of the event.
In such circumstances, the lines between partnership and competition may be more intensely blurred than ever before, and the risk of damaging long-term business relationships, particularly in Sydney, is heightened.
The upcoming Sydney Jewellery Industry Fair, now in its third year, will mark the third different scheduling strategy, held at two different venues.
By opening the doors to the public against the backdrop of an industry-only affair, the event will challenge the traditional structure of trade shows. The outcome of this experiment will undoubtedly be intriguing.
Footnote: Methodology & Maths
For any like-for-like comparison, precise definitions are essential. For that reason, an 'exhibitor' is defined as an industry supplier of products and services. That is, the primary objective of retailers when visiting a trade fair is to see new products, meet new suppliers, and, ultimately, buy from the industry suppliers - ‘exhibitors’. Additionally, an 'exhibitor' refers to the business that books and pays for the stand. This is important because some event organisers may publish multiple brands and products on an exhibitor list. In other words, a company’s brands or products may appear on an exhibitor list as an individual exhibitor when, in reality, they are not separate exhibitors. If that business is promoting, say, three brands or products, it is listed only once as an exhibitor, not multiple times as a company and its associated brands or products. This practice can be done to inflate the appearance of exhibitor numbers and enhance the perception and size of the event to potential visitors. » Industry Associations: While associations and other industry organisations can play an essential part in any trade gathering, retailers do not attend a jewellery fair with the primary purpose of visiting an industry association. They are almost always provided with free space by organisers. For that reason, associations appearing on the organisers' websites are not counted as exhibitors. » Director-related Companies: More importantly, the like-for-like comparison does not count any business as an industry supplier/exhibitor that is 'related' to the event organiser and/or its directors. The Jewellery Industry Fair website includes other companies owned by, or associated with, its directors, Laura Moore and Andy Phanthapangna, or in some cases, businesses owned by their family members. In many cases, these relationships are not declared to other suppliers and/or retail buyers. These ‘director-related’ companies are not considered or counted as exhibitors for the purpose of a like-for-like comparison. As noted, in some cases, the director-owned companies are listed as sponsors of the event. » Between The Lugs: While all the above issues have been detailed in previous reports, this year, a new issue has arisen concerning an accurate like-for-like comparison between the International Jewellery Fair and the Jewellery Industry Fair. A small watch show called Between The Lugs, operated by a third-party company, Mad & Associates, launched last year. Mad & Associates is a watch distributor. While Between The Lugs ran in a different area at the same venue as the Jewellery Industry Fair last year, and had a separate entrance where consumers paid an entrance fee of $27, the watch companies were not listed as exhibitors at the Jewellery Industry Fair. However, the Jewellery Industry Fair is including Between The Lugs exhibitors on its list this year. At the time of publication, the research reveals that of the seven watch companies on the Jewellery Industry Fair list, four are brands distributed by Mad & Associates, the organiser of Between The Lugs. |
Editor’s Note: As a matter of transparency, readers should note that Jeweller produces the trade fair directory for the International Jewellery Fair. As part of this arrangement, the magazine has a stand at the fair; however, in accordance with the methodology described above, Jeweller has not been counted as an exhibitor for the purpose of this like-for-like comparison.
More reading
Two critical lessons learned from Sydney’s showdown
Jewellery Trade Shows VII: Is this the end of the industry division?
Jewellery Trade Shows VI: Apologies and industry division
Jewellery Trade Shows V: Measure twice, cut once
Jewellery Trade Shows IV: Sydney’s confused jewellery commuters
Jewellery Trade Shows III: More facts and figures without ‘spin’
Jewellery Trade Shows II: Is all ‘fair’ in love and war?
Jewellery Trade Shows I: The facts and figures without puffery