With the Sydney Fair continuing into its second day, a full program of competition, presentations, and new product and service releases kept visitors engaged across the show floor.
The Mystery Box Bench Challenge returned with strong fanfare, drawing a consistent stream of onlookers throughout the day as six new apprentice jewellers put their skills to the test.
Working under a tight time constraint to create jewellery pieces live on the show floor, the heat was on, with more than $5,000 in prizes on offer.
• The Pick A Pearl Experience, sponsored by Ikecho, also continued to attract considerable attention. Held three times daily, this interactive activation invites attendees to dig through a beach-themed sandpit to select an oyster, with each offering a chance to win from a prize pool of more than $5,000.
• One of the day’s key presentations came from marketing strategist Richard Sauerman, widely known as The Brand Guy. In his session, From Storefront to Storyfront, Sauerman challenged retailers to shift their focus from selling products to creating memorable, emotion-led brand experiences.
Drawing on themes such as purpose-driven business, customer connection, and staff as brand ambassadors, his session resonated with attendees seeking fresh approaches to retail engagement in an evolving market.
A seriously Big Night Out
In the early hours of the morning, discussion among the crowds at the Sydney Fair was dominated by one topic – the jewellery industry cruise through Sydney Harbour the night before.
With more than 250 members of the local jewellery industry on board, the cruise set sail from King Street Wharf and returned two and a half hours later. In stark contrast to the more traditional format of industry gatherings, the evening offered a refreshing change of pace. Aside from a brief welcome announcement at departure, the event unfolded without formalities – it was just lively conversation, flowing food and drinks, and, for the final 90 minutes, a humming dance floor.
Reflecting on the evening, Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy told Jeweller he was delighted to see such a broad cross-section of the industry embrace the new format.
“It was fantastic to see so many people willing to take a chance on something different. The feedback has been unreal. I’ve had people tell me that it was the most fun they’ve ever had at a jewellery industry function, which is certainly a difficult benchmark to measure, but we’re just thrilled to hear that everyone had a great time,” he said.
“The concept worked perfectly. There were no boundaries; everyone was free to speak with anyone at any time, and the tempo of the evening was great. It started with some conversation and drinks, then some food, and finished with a packed dance floor. All of that unfolded under one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world, Sydney Harbour.”
“When we started planning for this event, we wanted to design something fresh and new and, perhaps most importantly of all, time and cost-efficient. With some very valuable support from around the industry, I think everyone came together and managed to tick all the right boxes.”
The Big Night Out was sponsored by BECKS, and CEO Gavin Baird said that seeing so many people from different areas of the industry unwinding under one roof was terrific.
“We had no hesitation in supporting this event; we thought it was important that a night like this happens where everyone in the industry comes together,” Baird said.
“It was a terrific opportunity and BECKS jumped at the chance to be involved because it aligns so strongly with our values as a company, we’re here to support the trade. It was great to see so many people coming together and embracing something new, and we’re thrilled that everyone had a great time.”
Australia’s largest industry buying group, Nationwide Jewellers, had an active presence at the Big Night Out, and general manager Glenn Pocklington said it was an ideal networking opportunity.
“It was a terrific night. It was an experiment to try something new, and, pardon the pun, we had no way of knowing how many people would jump on board and embrace the evening. The end result was great,” Pocklington said.
“We had a similar number of members participating in the cruise as we might expect to see at a traditional awards night, and we’re glad that so many members were clearly interested in what was planned.”
Speaking more broadly about the Sydney Fair, Pocklington said that the redesign of the Nationwide Jewellers area had been well-received and that industry sentiment was largely optimistic.
“From the conversations I’ve had with retailers, I think everyone can see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially with the recent interest rate cuts. We put a great deal of thought into our approach to the Fair this year, and it’s been uplifting for everyone to get so much positive feedback.”
It’s been a productive week for the Independent Jewellers Collective, and CEO Joshua Zarb said that around one-third of the buying group’s members participated in the Big Night Out. Based on the reception to the event, he expects that number to rise.
“It was a fantastic night, the vibe was terrific, and so many people were dancing until the lights came on and the music stopped,” he said.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how much the boat itself mattered – I don’t think that was a deal breaker – it was really about the overall atmosphere of the event, with so many people from around the industry coming together for one night of fun.”
Zarb continued: “We’ve had our most positive week in Sydney ever. All of our members are still consistently trading well. It’s been a very productive 12 months for our retailers, and we’re still really excited about the future.”
Showcase Jewellers chief operations officer Nicola Adams echoed these sentiments and said that with a busy week winding down, the group was thrilled.
"It's been a really busy week for Showcase Jewellers, and I think the whole team is feeling very positive as we approach the finish line,” Adams told Jeweller.
"I've spent some time with members who participated in the cruise last night, and they've all had nothing but positive things to say, which is great to hear. Our managing director, Anthony Enriquez, was there, flying the flag for our group, and I know he had a blast.
It’s been said many times before – there’s never a dull day in the jewellery industry – and Adams said meeting face-to-face with members of the past week has been a rewarding experience for the buying group.
"We've had some really interesting discussions with our members over the past week,” she explained.
“The jewellery industry is always changing, and lab-created diamond jewellery has been a huge talking point. We're also really excited about the future of colour gemstone jewellery at the moment; it's such an important part of jewellery retail. It is something our group is very much focused on."
The International Jewellery Fair concludes tomorrow in Darling Harbour, with a great deal of excitement still to unfold.
DAY 2: On the floor