EXHIBITORS HAIL NEW ATLANTA SHOW VENUE
The Southern Jewelry Travelers Association’s Atlanta Jewelry Show attracted a larger-than-usual group of buyers to its new venue in the Galleria Center in Cobb County. But many came only to look — their inventories remain bloated from a slower-than-expected summer.
The show’s first outing north of the city won raves on several counts, including better security and the cleaner and larger location. The Galleria is a large convention area attached to a shopping mall and hotel complex. Many of the watch companies that were formerly tucked away in suites on a lower floor were especially pleased with the new one-floor layout. “This is the first time we’ve actually been in the middle of the action here,” said David Strousse of Seiko Corp. “This has helped us a lot because buyers no longer have to hunt for us.”
Myra Medintz, SJTA executive secretary, said the show moved because downtown Atlanta had become congested with other conventions running at the same time. She also said the Merchandise Mart, where the show had been held for the previous seven years, has inadequate parking and was not sufficiently maintained to suit showgoers.
Excitement over the new facilities did not make buyers forget that business ran slow in the South after Mother’s Day. Locally, many jewelers were disappointed the Olympics did not bring more retail business to the region — events were held as far afield as Birmingham, Ala., and Savannah, Ga. — but visitors didn’t do as much shopping as expected.
“Normally, buyers shop the Atlanta show to fill in their stocks for fall, but they needed very little this time,” said Hal MacLeod of N.S. Co., Tucker, Ga. “Many told us they wanted to look and would order in September, so I believe our season will be very late.”
Business at the show was concentrated on quality lines and lower-end gold lines. Those in the middle price/quality ranges found business difficult.
Over the long-term, however, most exhibitors and buyers said the new venue should help to improve business at the show. “This facility will attract a lot of buyers back here,” said one exhibitor. “Once the buyers’ confidence is restored, you’ll see a lot of business being done here.”
1997 CRAFT SHOWS PLANNED IN CALIFORNIA
The 1997 Contemporary Craft Market shows in California will be held March 14-16 in the Pavilions at Fort Mason in San Francisco and May 3-5 in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Organizers expect 350 exhibitors and 17,000 customers at the San Francisco show, and 240 exhibitors and 12,000 customers at the Santa Monica show. Both will feature fine crafts, including jewelry, by American artists.
Roy Helms & Associates, 1142 Auahi St., Suite 2820, Honolulu, HI 96814; (808) 422-7362, fax (808) 423-1688.
TRADE SHOW CALENDAR POSTED ON WEB
Gem Data Corp. offers a Gem and Jewelry Show Calendar on The Spectrum Network(tm), a system for the colored gemstone and diamond industry on the Internet’s World Wide Web.
The calendar is located on the Web at http://www.gemdata.com. Trade show promoters can enter information about their shows on an e-mail form at the site; show information and dates will appear on the calendar within one to three days. Listings are free.
Gem Data Corp., P.O. Box 248, Clarence, NY 14031-0248; (716) 634-9400, fax (716) 633-3984, e-mail lkanaby@buffnet.net.
GLDA SCHEDULES SHOW
The Gem and Lapidary Dealers Association will sponsor the Wholesale Gem & Jewelry Show in the Holiday Inn City Center Jan. 29 to Feb. 5 in Tucson, Ariz. GLDA, P.O. Box 2391, Tucson, AZ 85702; (520) 792-9431, fax (520) 882-2836.
FOREIGN SHOW UPDATE
ISRAEL THE SOURCE will be held April 3-7, immediately preceding the Basel Fair (which will be held April 10-17) so buyers can attend both shows in one trip. This year’s inaugural edition of the show attracted buyers from 55 countries to the Tel-Aviv Fairgrounds. Organizers promise that next year’s edition will be even larger with increased participation from jewelry manufacturers, diamond manufacturers, colored stone firms and suppliers of equipment, machinery and services. “The April dates herald excellent weather in Israel, beautiful beachside hotels, a wide range of historic sightseeing in the Holy Land, seminars and social and networking functions,” says Chaim Even-Zohar, director of Miller Freeman (Israel) Ltd., one of the fair’s organizers. Israel The Source, Miller Freeman Inc., One Penn Plaza, P.O. Box 2549, New York, NY 10116-2549; (212) 615-2657, fax (212) 279-3966.
KOSMIMA will be held Oct. 18-21 at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre in Thessaloniki, Greece. The show will feature jewelry, timepieces, precious and semiprecious stones, machinery and equipment. Last year’s show drew 277 exhibitors from 14 countries. Helexpo, 154 Egnatia St., GR-54636 Thessaloniki; (30-31) 291-111, fax (30-31) 229-116.
JEWELLERY ARABIA ’96 will be held Nov. 6-9 in the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre. Kallman Associates, 20 Harrison Ave., Waldwick, NJ 07463-1709; (201) 652-7070, fax (201) 652-3898.
The four-day HONG KONG JEWELRY & WATCH FAIR in June brought a reported total of $26.6 million in on-site orders and drew 10,000 buyers from 56 countries, including some from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Germany and the Philippines. Next year’s summer fair will be held June 19-22. Miller Freeman Asia Ltd., 102-5 Stanhope House, 738 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong; (852) 2827-5121, fax (852) 2827-7064.
The INDIA INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY SHOW was held in June at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai. The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council hosted the event, which attracted 250 exhibitors and buyers from 30 countries.
Dubai’s GOLD, JEWELLERY, GEMS AND WATCHES EXHIBITION is scheduled for Oct. 24-27 at the Forte Grand Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Exhibits will include gold jewelry, loose stones, silverware, watches, objets d’art, machinery and related materials. Advex International, P.O. Box 24356, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; (971-4) 216-587, fax (971-4) 272-397.