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Jury Still Out on Baselworld
Mar 26, 2019 6:12 AM
By Anthony DeMarco
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RAPAPORT... Gem and jewelry exhibitors gave mixed responses to
changes at the struggling Baselworld show, with many still
undecided as to whether they would return to the trade fair.
Visitor traffic was relatively light throughout the
six-day event, which ends Tuesday, with Saturday and Sunday seeing the strongest activity.
Attendance was so sparse in the gem halls that some
exhibitors tried to poach buyers from competitors’ booths, observed Bruno
Scarselli, who specializes in rare fancy-colored diamonds.
“Twice, competitors tried to lure customers out of our
booth,” he said. “Every time two or three buyers come, a frenzy starts. It’s a
very ugly scene when that happens.”
The
experience was more positive for others, with some noting that their
performance largely depended on the products they
sell and the efforts to arrange appointments prior to the show.
Oded Mansori of Rare Diamond House in Antwerp, a
supplier of rare white and fancy-colored diamonds that start at $1 million, saw
both regular customers and new ones at the show. Most visitors to his booth were
large jewelry brands that were also exhibiting at the fair.
“I’m very happy with this show,” Mansori said. “The
foot traffic is much less, but you can’t just come to the show and expect
sales. There’s a lot of preparation work and follow-up that need to be done.”
Eden Rachminov of Rachminov Diamonds, another high-end
supplier of fancy-colored diamonds, added that his appointments were good, with
people generally buying in the lower and higher price ranges. Most sales were either priced between $10,000 and $30,000 or
$2 million and $5 million, he noted, while turnover was sluggish for products in
the $200,000 to $700,000 range.
Mansori and Rachminov said they were staying at the
show, while Scarselli said he was likely to return next year, despite his
reservations.
A matter
of cost
Organizers are attempting to recover from the recent
mass exodus and last year’s downsizing, which saw the number of exhibitors drop
from 1,500 two years ago to between 500 and 600 this year. The show’s new
management responded with a redesigned floor layout, additional restaurants,
and a revamped lineup of special events to help boost traffic.
But exhibitors were unsure whether those efforts would
be enough to bring them back to the Swiss city in the future. Many were waiting
for details of additional changes, including a new pricing model, which Michel
Loris-Melikoff, managing director of show organizer MCH Group, referenced at
the show’s opening press conference.
“It costs five
times as much as any other show,” said Alexander Stufflebeam, president of
Panjshir Valley Emeralds, who will probably attend next year, even though he is
uncertain about the show’s viability. “I can go to at least three [other] shows
for the price of this show.”
Unlike less expensive fairs, it’s difficult to absorb or justify
the cost of Baselworld when business is bad, he stressed.
“The cost of being here runs into six figures, and it’s
not $100,000,” Scarselli added.
Location,
location, location
A change in location was another contentious issue for jewelers. The
organizers closed Hall 2, where jewelers used to exhibit, moving them to Hall
1.2 on the third floor of the main building in the Messe Basel complex.
To help attract people to the jewelry area, fashion shows were
held three times a day, featuring jewels from select exhibitors. While most of
the shows were well attended and helped foot traffic, exhibitors were uncertain
whether that activity trickled through to their booths.
Laura Bicego, owner of the Italian gold-jewelry brand
Nanis, was unhappy with her new booth space behind the round stage where the
fashion shows were held. New people had difficulty finding her booth, she said,
adding that she managed to gain new clients despite her unfavorable position.
“I wouldn’t say we did extremely well. In the end it
was not bad for us,” she observed.
Bicego was among those questioning whether to return,
noting that other fairs, such as Italy’s VicenzaOro and the growing Inhorgenta fair
in Munich, Germany, have been much stronger for her and at a far lower cost. A
shift to Hall 1.1, where the larger jewelry and watch brands are located, would
help convince her to exhibit again in 2020.
Jewelers
take the stage
Baselworld’s
organizers made some effort to appease jewelers who have felt overshadowed by
the larger watch brands that take center stage at the event. For example, they
gave Giuseppi Picchiotti, founder of the family-owned
Picchiotti jewelry brand in Valenza, a spot at the opening press conference, where
he sat alongside the heads of watch companies Chopard and Patek Philippe.
“In the past years I very cordially pointed out to
Baselworld that the location given to the jewelry sector was not nearly as
satisfactory compared to the watchmaking sector, and that improvements needed
to be made,” Picchiotti said.
Some were pleased with the new, smaller structure.
A longtime outspoken supporter of Baselworld, Michael
Hakimian of Yoko London, which specializes in fine pearl jewelry, said the fair
was even better, with the drop in exhibitor numbers making it a more comfortable, cozier
event for the buyers and exhibitors.
“People can navigate the whole building in a day,” he said. “I
have old clients coming, and I have new customers. I’ll be here as long as
there’s a fair.”
Image: Hall 1 at Baselworld 2019. (Baselworld)
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Tags:
Alexander Stufflebeam, Anthony DeMarco, basel, Baselworld, Bruno Scarselli, Eden Rachminov, Germany, Giuseppi Picchiotti, Inhorgenta, Jewelry, Laura Bicego, Messe Basel, Michael Hakimian, Michel Loris-Melikoff, Munich, Nanis, Oded Mansori, Panjshir Valley Emeralds, Picchiotti, Rachminov Diamonds, Rare Diamond House, shows, Valenza, Vicenzaoro, watches, Yoko London
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