Basel 2001 will be held in the halls of Messe Basel in Switzerland March 22-29. The 2,400 watch and jewelry exhibitors, representing 41 countries, expect about 85,000 trade visitors from around the world. The process of improving the appearance of the display halls, begun with Basel 2000, continues this year. The newly designed foyer to Hall 2 (the Jewellery Hall) was introduced in time for Basel 2000, and similar efforts are being concentrated on the jewelry exhibition’s Prestige sector, in Hall 2.2.

Basel 2001 will also present its second Basel Award. The Basel Award is an international jewelry design competition sponsored by the Basel show and introduced last year. The award allows 10 jewelry designers in their final year of a jewelry course the chance to have their work manufactured by some of the world’s leading jewelry manufacturers who exhibit at the Basel show. The 10 pieces will be auctioned and the proceeds donated to charity. This year’s theme is “Surreal Appeal,” and some 60 international jewelry schools have been asked to propose students in their final year to take part in the competition.

The Basel show also will present Basel Forum 2001, billed as a “multi-platform think tank for the luxury industry. One panel of experts will discuss how “e-Luxury is shaping tomorrow’s world,” and a second will address “the real world.” The Basel Forum 2001 will close with “The Importance of Design,” which will offer the visions of a panel of designers and trendsetters who will define what makes a luxury product unique.

For information, contact (41-61) 686-2020, fax (41-61) 686-2190; in the U.S., (215) 567-0727, fax (215) 545-9629.