The 30th edition of the JCK show in Las Vegas closed on June 13, its attendance numbers exceeding pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
Thirty thousand attendees from all facets of the jewelry industry—over 17,000 from 130 countries, and over 1,800 exhibitors showcasing in more than 20 different show floor neighborhoods—gathered at The Venetian and The Venetian Expo for JCK June 10–13, with Luxury welcoming an invitation-only crowd of retailers June 8–9 before opening to all, and the return of Gems with AGTA Las Vegas opening a day early on June 9.
“It was a celebratory and momentous year for the JCK community, which concluded with a round of loud applause from show exhibitors across all the neighborhoods, just like the first edition 30 years prior in 1992,” said group vice president of RX Jewelry Group, Sarin Bachmann, in a statement. “This edition came full circle with high energy, enthusiasm, and most importantly, connection and commerce. This year we saw an increase in attendance, quality lead generation, customer success on-site and amplified optimism for the future of innovation and trends in the jewelry industry as well as the importance of face-to-face events.”
Retailers and exhibitors echoed the sentiments that 2022 was the best JCK show to date.
“This was the best JCK I have been to yet, and I have been to all but one!” said Cathy Calhoun of Calhoun Jewelers. “Between the way the floor plan was laid out and the mobile app allowing me to enter a booth number with step-by-step directions to find it, I loved the ease of the mobile app and the clearly marked aisles! I was able to be very productive and enjoyed myself as well, especially at the JCK Rocks event—both the show and the after-party. Everyone I spoke to was extremely happy!”
“This year’s Luxury show brought retailers that were there to do business, including many new retailers. With our men’s collection by Marco Dal Maso alone, we opened more than 30 new accounts and had the opportunity to reconnect with many of our current partners. The strategic curation and elevated ambience of the Luxury show and experience far exceeded our expectations. We cannot wait until next year,” said Mark Pasdon of Gioelli Group.
Attendees enjoyed the JCK Talks education program, returning this year in a new format with topics like consumer shopping trends; sourcing and sustainability; team building, customer loyalty, and storytelling conversion; NFTs and Web3, and digital fraud prevention; technology and the in-store experience; social media, video content creation, and digital marketing; and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI).
For those interested in catching up on the JCK Talks sessions they might have missed, many were recorded and are available to watch on demand for a limited time to members of JCK Pro (subscribe here). Keynote sessions are available for viewing too.
A Luxury keynote featuring emotional intelligence, performance, and leadership expert Bill Benjamin, was given on Wednesday, June 8, followed by the Luxury keynote on June 9 given by pro football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, “A Championship Vision: How Your Achievements Start With Your Vision and Dream.”
The JCK opening keynote was given on Friday, June 10, by Swan Sit, former global head of digital marketing at Nike, Estée Lauder, and Revlon, dubbed “the queen of Clubhouse.” Sponsored by Sarine, Sit’s opening keynote shared insights on innovative platforms and technologies like the metaverse, NFTs, and Web3 that are emerging and disrupting the way retailers engage with customers and tell a brand’s story.
The Plumb Club kicked off Saturday evening with a 30th anniversary cocktail party celebration, where attendees toasted to three decades of JCK. For the JCK Rocks event on Saturday night, Miguel Cervantes, currently playing the lead role in Broadway’s Hamilton, as well as current and former Hamilton cast members, thrilled attendees with Hamilton–Remix, a high-energy performance of songs from the Tony Award–winning show. The after-party had a packed dance floor, where cast members mixed with partygoers for a memorable time.
On the show floor, attendees played with new Instagrammable moments and special treats, like a photo booth where attendees got to be on the cover of JCK magazine, a live fashion sketching called Vogue Vignette, an NFT art exhibit created by Rozes, a ribbon station inviting attendees to display the number of years they’ve attended the show, a diamond balloon ring sponsored by Diamonds Do Good, a diamond hologram moment sponsored by SRK, and more.
For the first time ever, JCK sponsored the Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) with booths in the Design Collective neighborhood, featuring collections from six of its members: Adore Adorn, Christian Stone, Jam + Rico, JNCY Jewelers, Made by Malyia, and The Personal Jeweler.
“History was made at this JCK event,” says Adrianne Sanogo, cofounder of BIJC, in a statement. “I want to personally thank you for being a visionary and being committed to changing the narrative. This will always be a part of your legacy and ours, for bringing about change and ensuring that everyone in the industry shines together.”
Six emerging designers were also hosted at Luxury, through the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative by the Natural Diamond Council and Lorraine Schwartz.
The Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), partners of JCK, hosted the Generating Impact Community Breakfast on Saturday, June 11, featuring a presentation by Karine Bah Tahé, founder and CEO of Blue Level Training, an enterprise focused on diversity, equality, and inclusion training. The presentation featured special remarks from Latoya Boyd, WJA’s 2020 Female Veteran Grant winner.
In a continued partnership with AGTA, JCK has announced the extended agreement for AGTA GemFair Las Vegas through at least 2025. “This is exciting news for AGTA and our members, especially after such a successful show for us at JCK,” said AGTA president Kimberly Collins. AGTA GemFair Las Vegas will be located on the main floor next to the Luxury and Plumb Club pavilions at The Venetian Expo.
“We are thrilled to bring an important partner such as AGTA back into the fold with an expanded long-term commitment,” said RX’s Bachmann. “We received great feedback on having AGTA back at JCK and are excited to let the industry know they can count on finding AGTA at JCK in Las Vegas for many more years ahead.”
Save the date for JCK 2023, with JCK scheduled for June 2–5; Gems & JCK Talks, June 1–5, and Luxury, May 31–June 5 (by invitation only May 31 and June 1).
Visit lasvegas.jckonline.com for more information.
Photograph by Camilla Sjodin
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