New vendors, new products, and a hot urban safari ambience are just the beginning
LUXURY, the upscale sister show to JCK Las Vegas, will open May 29 with an expanded stable of high-end vendors.
Before last year, the appointment-only show opened three days prior to the main JCK show, and vendors moved into various booths on the main show floor for the remainder of JCK. The move to Mandalay Bay made it possible for LUXURY vendors to stay put throughout the entire seven-day show cycle, which “made everything really seamless and created a lot of demand for this year,” says event director John Tierney. “We grew on both the exhibitor and retail side.” (From Tuesday, May 29, through Thursday, May 31, LUXURY and Elite Enclave will be open only to invited guests. On Friday, June 1, both events open their doors to all JCK Las Vegas attendees.)
The 12-year-old LUXURY, which will feature 223 vendors (about 30 more than last year), has added a third space in Mandalay Bay—the Breakers Ballroom—to accommodate its supersized lineup. Elite Enclave, the LUXURY show’s designer-focused section, has also grown this year from six vendors to eight. The curated area focuses on “higher-end designers who want a different experience than your typical high-end bridal company,” says Tierney. This year’s lineup brings companies both big and boutique: Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, India Hicks Fine Jewelry, Cassis, Forevermark, Sasha Primak, Miiori, Temple St. Clair, and Beaudry International.
Diamond kite earrings in sterling silver with 0.69 ct. t.w. diamonds, $1,995, India Hicks Fine Jewelry, New York City; 212-300-8220; indiahicks.com
The intimate show will boast an “urban safari” theme, featuring decor meant to evoke an Out of Africa vibe. Vintage trunks and suitcases, exotic skins, and flowing greenery will enhance the effect, says Pam Bristow, a freelance creative director and event planner charged (for the second year) with transforming Elite Enclave into a decadent experience for retailers. “We took this idea of a luxury experience being more than just commerce-driven and created an incredible space that’s an oasis in the middle of all the craziness,” Bristow says.
The fashionably wild theme will spill over into LUXURY as well—for example, in the new LUXURY Lounge, and a luxury bistro with awnings and smaller tables that Bristow decked out with greenery and safari accents. “You will see bits and pieces of the urban safari theme in LUXURY,” says Tierney. “And we’re creating different pockets on the show floor for [various] activities.”
A new Rejuvenation Lounge in the Breakers Ballroom, featuring a concierge, will be a prime spot for relaxation or freshening-up, “whether you need a Band-Aid, a foot massage, or water with fruit infusions,” notes Tierney.
And, of course, there will be the usual mix of stunning merchandise from the vendors themselves. Los Angeles–based pearl company Baggins, for example, will launch a collection of one-of-a-kind earrings, rings, and pendants in 18k yellow gold. “As a LUXURY exhibitor, we get the first chance to show our line to high-end stores,” says Anil Maloo, president of Baggins, “and we get to know the retailer in a more relaxed atmosphere before the other shows open up.”