Feature-packed Shanghai fair cements leadership position

GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jewellery Seasons China organized by Informa Markets lived up to its reputation as the much-awaited year-end luxury show in Eastern China when it opened its doors from 28 November to 1 December at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre.

The event, whose purview covered everything from jewellery, fashion and art, did not disappoint the roughly 10,000 buyers from 36 countries and regions. The strong attendance of local delegates was a nod to the robustness of the Chinese luxury market, which global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company forecasts will see "nearly double" in spending between now and 2025.

"The fair had something for everyone, for consumers and traders alike," said Mr Teddy Tan, Event Director - China Jewellery Fairs, Informa Markets.

Tan orchestrated the successful restructuring of the fair, transforming it from a jewellery-focused exhibition to one that is a "melting pot" of jewellery and fashion-related sectors such as clothing, handbags, leather, cosmetics, home furnishings, and artworks.

"This fusion may sound quite peculiar to some but it actually makes sense because at their core is a common regard for beauty," said Mr Tan.

According to the McKinsey report, roughly 70 percent of Chinese luxury consumers will be doing their luxury spending overseas as "a result of an increasing affinity for outbound travel." But it is worth nothing that over time, that ratio may shift in favour of domestic spending as a result of moves to cut luxury import taxes.

This rosy forecast bodes well for the fair's nearly 300 exhibiting companies from 17 countries and regions. "Our exhibitors are playing the long game. Their presence at Jewellery Seasons China right now is an opportunity to build long-term relationships and entrench their names in the customers' minds," Mr Tan said.

One of them, LJ West Diamonds Inc, believes it is at the right place in championing fancy coloured diamonds. "Over the last couple of years, we realized that people really started understanding natural coloured diamonds, about pink diamonds, blue diamonds. These are the stones they're looking at as investment pieces. I'm really looking forward to exploring this market here," said Ashwani Upadhyay, sales specialist.

Buyers came from a wide cross-section of the marketplace--from the experienced "old-hand" in the luxury market to the novice yet deep-pocketed post-80s and post-90s consumer, the exhibitors observed.

Learning & Networking Opportunities

A series of fun and educational activities kept buyers busy throughout the four-day period. In between business transactions, many found the time to enjoy the many features that have become much-awaited highlights for delegates.

Here are some of them:

• Designer Talks – Two large-scale interactive activities, wherein designers had conversations about jewellery with the audience, saw robust attendance. The exhibition gathered many masters in the industry: 70 local and overseas jewellery designers including Kelly Xie, Tsai An Ho, Stella Huang, Sun Chin, Leo Lin, Miller Chen, Yuki Ding, Alex Wong, and Li Li. The artists/jewellers showed their individuality through their inspiring creations.
• Advancement in technology is helping lab-grown diamonds secure a place in the jewellery market, thanks to the rising trend in ethical shopping. Swarovski, famous for precision-cutting technology, underscored the growing importance of lab-grown diamonds at a knowledge seminar at Jewellery Seasons China. The Austrian company offered insights into its latest brand of lab-grown diamonds, its journey to lead the industry development of ultra-high technology, and inspiring new interpretations for this emerging gemstones. It highlighted how lab-grown diamonds and mined diamonds can co-exist and gives consumers a wider choice. Swarovski was joined by seven other lab-diamond manufacturers and suppliers at the fair.

• The 4928 Oriental Aesthetic Space brought unique works with classical elegance to Jewellery Seasons China. The 441-sqm "sanctuary" within the hectic event offered participants the chance to unwind and recharge while admiring various art forms in Chinese traditional culture. Among the artisans featured were veteran tea farmer Yu Ting Chen, who performed a tea ceremony, and Chinese fashion designer Sun Xuefei, who's known for her unique creations combining embroidery with ink painting. Buyers witnessed the Chinese art of jewellery making called Dian Cui, which combines traditional metal workmanship with feather crafts.
• Jewellery Seasons China unveiled its first collaboration with leading Chinese apps Meituan Dianping and Douyin. Meituan Dianping is a leading player in multi-channel marketing popular with millions of Chinese consumers looking for a seamless shopping experience. Douyin is behind the short video app known internationally as TikTok. The two platforms hosted two impressive forums, titled "Evolution Theory of Marketing" and "How to Attract More Offline Customers with Online Operations," from which the audience learned marketing strategies in the digital space.
• In order to better connect and communicate with consumers, Jewellery Seasons China brought different themes from life, including art, environmental protection and parent-child relationship, to jewellery industry through many onsite activities. The Art and Jewellery Forum invited esteemed designers and artists to talk about the beauty and new trends in fashion jewellery, providing the audience with more new propositions about high-quality life. The Environmental Friendly Jewellery Activities explored the "aesthetics of waste", inspiring participants to make their own fashion items from materials that earlier would have been deemed worthless. The 2019 HUAME Children's Jewellery Design Competition celebrated creativity, innovation and excellence in jewellery design, in which children's artwork served as inspiration for jewellery designs. Winners were fêted at an awarding ceremony at the fair.

"All the special events equally drew big crowds. It tells us that the changes we've incorporated over the past year or so are on the right track and are very much appreciated," said Mr Tan.

Jewellery Seasons China 2020 will continue next year, hopefully bringing a more creative and insightful fair with more players from crossover sectors involved.

Informa Markets Global Jewellery Events Calendar 2019-2020

Notes to Editors:

Jewellery Seasons China is organised by Informa Markets, a division of Informa plc. Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare &  Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food &  Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist  digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a  diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of  the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

Appendix: 15th China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai Fair Statistics

Breakdown of Total Visitors

Breakdown of Total Visits (including revisits)

Visitors came from 31 countries and regions

Mainland China visitors came from 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities

Breakdown of Exhibitors (by country and region)

SOURCE Informa Markets - Guangzhou