HONG KONG TO DOUBLE SIZE OF ITS CONVENTION CENTER

To enhance its self-described role as the business hub and trade fair capital of Asia, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council is more than doubling the size of its convention and trade exhibition center in Wanchai.

The $623.3 million expansion will extend the facility onto an island now being reclaimed from Victoria Harbor directly in front of the center. The island is the size of nine football fields and extends about 1,155 feet into the harbor.

A 248-ft. channel will separate the existing and new facilities, which will be connected by roads and walkways.

The extension will feature three exhibition halls with a total of 28,000 square meters and major meeting room and conference space. It will include restaurants and a landscaped promenade.

Architects of the winning design, chosen from 61 international entries, are Wong and Ouyang Hong Hong Ltd. in association with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, Ill.

The new facility, owned by the government, is scheduled to be completed in mid 1997.

PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR FEBRUARY JA SHOW

More than 1,300 exhibitors and 13,000 buyers are expected to attend the spring JA International Jewelry Show. The show, produced by Blenheim Jewelry Shows, will be held

Feb. 4-7 in the Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, N.Y.

The show will include the following sections:

• A Designer Gallery of more than 100 exhibitors.

• A New Product Gallery of innovative designs arranged by stylist Penny Hochberg and accompanied by piano music.

• The International Watch & Clock Pavilion, featuring merchandising and display ideas, the futuristic Chronos watch and clock store, a Clock Tower Plaza cafe area, the American Clock and Watch Museum’s three-dimensional diorama of long-lost watches and instruments that Admiral Rich-ard E. Byrd used on his expedition to Antarctica and an exhibit from the American Watch Association.

• By Appointment Only, featuring exclusive watch lines with limited distribution. Buyers must make appointments in advance or on-site with a receptionist at the section.

• International pavilions from Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy and Thailand, as well as from the Indo Argyle Diamond Council.

Education: The Michael D. Roman Center for Business Studies, part of Jewelers of America, will present a free seminar and workshop program Feb. 4-6 in the convention center. Among the sessions scheduled are:

• “Selling Up and Adding On.” Sales trainer Shane Decker will offer tips on upgrading and adding on to each diamond sale.

• “Working With Platinum.” A Platinum Guild International representative will discuss metalworking techniques.

• “Designing for the Non-Designer.” Judith Reiss, a professor at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y., and a designer, will be the speaker.

• “Consumer Wealth in America: What Every Jeweler Should Know.” David Arnold, director of watches and jewelry for Town & Country magazine, will present the magazine’s extensive study on wealth in America.

• “Pearl Grading Techniques.” The Cultured Pearl Association will present a new pearl grading chart designed to educate staff members and customers and to increase sales.

• “New Technology to Detect Fracture-Filling.” GEM-VID representatives demonstrate a system that enlarges details of gemstones and jewelry to detect inclusions and fracture-filling.

• “Great Jewelry from the 18th and 19th Centuries.” Michael Coan, professor of gemology and appraisal at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, N.Y., will discuss important pieces from these two centuries.

Other topics will include “Colored Gemstones & Their Lore,” “How to be Competitive & Profitable,” “Comfortable Profit Margins,” “Expanding Your Customer Base” and “Gearing Up for Spring Promotions.” In addition, a simulated auction of estate jewelry will give participants a chance to learn first-hand about the auction process.

CBS offers courses in five areas: finance, business management, marketing, personnel management and personnel enrichment. CBS students earn credits toward the Accredit Jeweler Designation.

The Jewelers’ Certification Council will offer its Certified Store Manager exam on Feb. 5, during the show. The exam measures six areas of management expertise: business ethics, merchandising, personnel, sales management, security and store operations. A review class for CSM preparation will be offered immediately before the exam. The review costs $5; the exam is $25. To register or for more information about the education program, call JA’s Education Department at (800) 223-0673.

Travel, shows: Free shuttle service will be available from several hotels to the show and back.

For reduced travel and accommodation rates, call Blenheim Travel Services at (800) 829-2281 or (201) 346-0300.

Blocks of tickets have been reserved for show attendees at four Broadway shows: Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, Showboat and Sunset Boulevard. For a ticket order form, contact Blenheim Jewelry Shows, One Executive Drive, Ft. Lee, N.J. 07024; (800) 829-3976 or (201) 346-1400, fax (201) 346-1532.

ACC ADDS FAIR IN CHARLOTTE

The American Craft Council will introduce a show in Charlotte, N.C., this year. Called the ACC Craft Fair Charlotte, the new show will be held Dec. 8-10 in the recently completed Charlotte Convention Center.

“We see the debut of Charlotte as a great opportunity for craft artists,” says ACC Director JoAnn Brown. “It’s a forward-looking, affluent city with a great interest in the arts and a beautiful, brand new convention center.” ACC expects 230 exhibitors.

The fair is timed to complement the ACC Craft Fair Tampa Bay, scheduled for Dec. 1-3, so exhibitors can attend two Southeastern fairs on consecutive weekends.

In addition to Charlotte and Tampa Bay, ACC holds craft fairs in Baltimore, Md.; Atlanta, Ga.; St. Paul, Minn.; Columbus, Ohio; West Springfield, Mass.; and San Francisco, Cal. (The Baltimore show was recently ranked as the best craft event in America by Sunshine Artist magazine and as the top wholesale event by the Harris List, a national independent rating service that evaluates craft and art events.)

Exhibitor applications for the new show will be available in February from the American Craft Council, 21 S. Eltings Corner Rd., Highland, N.Y. 12528; (800) 836-3470 or (914) 883-6100, fax (914) 883-6130.

PACIFIC JEWELRY SHOW SCHEDULED FOR MARCH

The Designers Marketplace, now in its third year, will be a feature of the 1995 Pacific Jewelry Show. The show is scheduled for March 4-5 in the Moscone Center, San Francisco, Cal.

Also returning to the show will be Discovery Island, a group of showcases containing what organizers call some of the most exciting pieces of jewelry in the show.

Buyers will receive ballots as they enter the show so they can choose winners of the PJS Buyers Choice Awards for the most outstanding piece of jewelry, the line with the best overall continuity and the line with the best visual display. Past winners are Unigem International, Alan Revere Jewelry Design, Two Tone USA, Concept 1/Sakamoto and David Worcester Jewelry Designs.

The show also will feature an education program. A.J. Sales of KWHS, a consulting company that specializes in working with the jewelry industry, will discuss the importance of strategic planning. Other seminars will be announced later.

During the show, Jewelers of America will offer its Certified Store Manager exam, 9-11:30 a.m., March 5. This is the first time the exam has been offered to independent jewelers on the West Coast. For more information, call the JA Education Department at (800) 223-0673.

For show information, contact Pacific Jewelry Shows, 911 Wilshire Blvd. #1740, Los Angeles, Cal. 90017-3446; (800) 523-SHOW or (213) 623-5722, fax (213) 623-5742.

MID AMERICA SHOW GETS NEW NAME

This year, the Mid America Jewelry Show gets a new name: The Columbus Jewelry Show.

The change reflects a trend among major trade shows to be identified by the city, not the region, they are held in, says Jack Yeager, president of the Ohio Jewelers Association, show sponsor.

This year’s show, to be held Aug. 25-27 in the Greater Columbus Convention Center, will be chaired by Tim Smith of Smith and Co. Jewelers in Boardman, Ohio. Craig Forcell of Martin Jewelers in Wooster, Ohio, is assistant show committee chairman. Adri Sfalcin is executive director of the Ohio Jewelers Association and show manager.

PHILADELPHIA TO HOST SECOND BUYERS MARKET

The Buyers Market of American Crafts has added a second Philadelphia show to its schedule beginning this year.

The original Philadelphia show will be held Feb. 17-20 and will feature more than 1,200 artists. The new show will be held Aug. 6-9 and will have 1,000 artists. Both will be in the Philadelphia Convention Center. The new show is timed so buyers also can attend the New York International Gift Fair in New York City Aug. 13-17.

The Buyers Market schedule also includes a craft fair May 18-20 in the Boston Bayside Expo Center, Boston, Mass. For the first time, this show will run concurrently with the Boston Beckman Handcrafted Gift Show.

Buyers Markets for American Crafts feature art to wear, decorative accessories, fine jewelry, gifts and more. Participating designers are selected for their business savvy and product marketability as well as craftsmanship.

The Rosen Group Inc., 3000 Chestnut Ave., Suite 300, Baltimore, Md. 21211; (410) 889-2933, fax (410) 889-1320.

NEW YORK GIFT FAIR SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY

The 128th twice-yearly New York International Gift Fair® will be held Jan. 22-26 in the Jacob Javits Convention Center and at Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 90 and 92. About 2,500 U.S. and foreign exhibitors and 45,000 buyers are expected.

The fair is divided into the following segments: Accent on Design®, American & International Crafts, Just Kidstuff®, The Museum Source®, General Gift, Personal Accessories, Decorative Accessories, Tabletop & Homewares, Handmade in the U.S.A. and The Pier Group: New and Distinctive Resources/Floral and Garden Accessories.

Seminars include “New Buyer Orientation,” 9 a.m. Jan. 22; “Shop Locally – Buy Globally,” 2 p.m. Jan. 22; “The Art of Mainstreaming Museum Merchandise,” 10 a.m. Jan. 23; and “David and Goliath: Co-existing with Superstores and Malls,” 10 a.m. Jan. 24. Tickets for each seminar are $10 each; advance reservations are required.

For discounted travel and hotel arrangements, call Travel Planners at (800) 221-3531 or (212) 532-1600.

Organizers are offering a limited number of tickets to the Broadway play Sunset Boulevard at $60 each. To reserve tickets or for more show information, contact George Little Management, 10 Bank St., Suite 1200, White Plains, N.Y. 10606-1933; (800) 272-SHOW or (914) 421-3200, fax (914) 948-6180.

PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR SAN FRANCISCO GIFT FAIR

The San Francisco International Gift Fair will be held Jan. 14-18 in the Giftcenter & Jewelrymart in San Francisco, Cal.

An education program in conjunction with the show includes the following: “Turning New Products into New Profits: How Cross-Merchandising Can Increase Sales,” 3 p.m. Jan. 14; “Gift Trek: A Walking Tour of the Giftcenter,” 10 a.m. Jan. 15; “Sellabrate Spring: Products, Promotions and Profits,” noon Jan. 15; and “Downright, Dirt Cheap, Dynamic Display: Easy and Economical Visual Merchandising,” 3 p.m. Jan. 15. Tickets for each seminar are $10 each and include a continental breakfast, light lunch or afternoon tea. Reservations are suggested.

For discount travel arrangements, call Group Travel Associates at (800) 821-0339 or (805) 287-1787.

Giftcenter & Jewelrymart, 888 Brannan St., Suite 609, San Francisco, Cal. 94103; (415) 861-7733, fax (415) 431-2710.

FOREIGN SHOW UPDATE

Inhorgenta, Germany’s largest trade fair for jewelry, watches, silverware and production equipment, will be held Feb. 24-27 in Munich. More than 1,300 exhibitors and 21,128 buyers are expected. The show will include a pavilion of U.S. jewelry, findings and equipment manufacturers. Kallman Associates, 20 Harrison Ave., Waldwick, N.J. 07463; (201) 652-7070, fax (201) 652-3898.

Organizers say business was strong at Jedifa, a jewelry and watch fair held Sept. 10-12 in Antwerp, Belgium. The event included the European Conference on Diamonds, which focused on the latest techniques used in the treatment, design and manufacture of diamonds. It was organized by the Diamond High Council, the National Committee of Jewelers and Reed Exhibitions Belgium. The next Jedifa fair will be held Sept. 10-12. Reed Exhibition Cos., 343 Main Ave., Norwalk, Conn. 06851; (203) 840-5313, fax (203) 840-9313.

Exhibitors reported good business and said they made good contacts at the Japan Jewellery Fair, held Sept. 6-9 in Yokohama. The show was organized by the Japan Jewellery Association, the Platinum Guild International, the World Gold Council and the Diamond Promotion Service. The next show will be held Sept. 20-22 in the Pacific Convention Plaza Yokohama. Japan Jewellery Fair, Kinsan Building, 3-18-3 Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101, Japan; (81-3) 3233-6348, fax (81-3) 3233-6628.

The International Autumn Fair, held Sept. 10-13 in Birmingham, England, boasted 41,274 buyers from all segments of the gift industry. That’s double the attendance of the previous year’s show, which was held in July. The next show will be held Sept. 10-13. TPS Ltd., Exhibition House, Warren Lane, London, SE18 6BW, United Kingdom; (44-181) 855-9201, fax (44-181) 316-5719.

The Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, held Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, featured 385 exhibiting companies from 13 countries and 6,931 buyers from 60 countries. The Jewel Award design contest, created to increase the awareness of the distinctive designs of Thai gems and jewelry, focused this year on blue sapphires and gold. Suthep Tanalekhaphat of Beauty Gems Factory Co. won first place. The show is sponsored by the country’s Department of Export Promotion, the Thai Gems & Jewelry Traders Asso-ciation, the Jewellers Association of Thailand and the Thai Diamond Manufacturers Association.