Shanghai Jewellery Fair caps 2018 with a strong finish

SHANGHAI, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The China International Gold, Jewellery and Gem Fair – Shanghai (Shanghai Jewellery Fair), organised by UBM China (Guangzhou) Co Ltd, concluded on a high note on December 10 with clear signals it delivered top performance as a driver of new businesses, trends and innovations.

The 9,690 total visits from 32 countries and regions confirmed the Shanghai Jewellery Fair's international reach. Jewellery and gemstone companies from Canada, Thailand, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan regions comprised the 335 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions.

Not surprisingly, the majority of visitors came from the robust mainland China market. The Top 10 sources of buyers outside of mainland China were Sri Lanka, Taiwan Region, Hong Kong Region, India, Japan, Canada, Pakistan, the United States, Vietnam and UK.

Jewellery-Lifestyle convergence

• Jewellery Life Pavilion 2.0

Enthusiastic response to the new concepts unveiled at this edition was an endorsement that the innovations are right on target. Premiere among these is the Jewellery Life Pavilion 2.0, which highlighted jewellery crossover marketing with fashion products, such as clothing, handbags, leather goods, foot wear, cosmetics, home furnishings and fashion accessories, among others.

Cartibaul Co Ltd, Chic Chu Fine Jewelry, Cider Creations Co Ltd, Dalian Yiyou Jewelry Co Ltd, Guangzhou David Xiao Jewelry Co Ltd, Jasen Jewelry (DG) Co Ltd, Kelly Xie Fine Jewelry, Misani, Mylove Jewelry Co Ltd, Shenzhen Kadibao Jewelry Co Ltd, Yuting Import & Export Co Ltd and others have contributed their gracious presence at the Jewellery Life Pavilion. Also, a pop-up area for Fashion Access, a global trade fair of the latest collections on fashion products and independent brands, highlighted the synergy amongst the crossover elements, whilst the Salon area in the pavilion offered additional opportunities for exhibitors to mingle with buyers and talk about their brands and products.

"Buyers were thrilled about all the inspiration presented, including insight into the latest advancements and trends as well as the benefits of crossover marketing of jewellery with various lifestyle segments," says Teddy Tan, Event Manager - China Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co Ltd.

• Crossover· Shining Your Life

At the related forum "Crossover· Shining Your Life," high-calibre resource speakers provided rich insights into business opportunities in the jewellery market. Michael Duck, Executive Vice President, UBM Asia Ltd, Teddy Tan of UBM China (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd, and Zhang Tiejun, Chairman, Shanghai International Brand Jewellery Centre delivered welcome speeches.

Li Chengmo, Design Director of UD Designer Studio, and interior designer Echo Yu, Executive Director of HFS|BE Design (China Division), shared their ideas about enhancing retail space by optimising interior design and displays. They recommended several useful concepts and directions that jewellery retailers could adapt to enhance customer experience and boost sales. They suggested that exploring common elements in interior design and jewellery design, such as colour trends or materials, could lead to marketing themes that could open up more opportunities to jewellery traders.

Other renowned professionals from various lifestyle fields: jewellery designer Shirley Hou, makeup artist Sofiya Lin, fitness trainer Chen Gurong, and apparel designer Fiona Tam were also on hand to dish out tips. Their ideas on how cooperation could be implemented across different lifestyle segments were met with a very enthusiastic response from exhibitors and visitors alike.

Storytelling from professionals further presented a strong case for developing crossover alliances. Resource speakers cited case studies to make their point; speakers included Li Jun, founder of One Jewellery; and Teddy Tan, Event Manager, China Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd.

Helen Mao, International Editor of TRENDVISION, served as the forum moderator.

Other fresh offerings

The abundance of new products and innovations was evident throughout the fair. Not only were there intensive dialogs at the trade fair stands, participants discussed and witnessed industry trends and market developments in specialized pavilions and at knowledge seminars.

A conference focused on the bridal market organized by the China Gold Association was also launched at this edition. The conference highlighted new directions in bridal jewellery and served as a networking opportunity for participants specializing in this segment of the market. "We hope to strengthen Shanghai Jewellery Fair's role in the bridal market by giving industry players a platform to inspire and be inspired, trade, network and grow their business," says Mr Tan.

The newly launched Chinese Culture Pavilion, where elements central to Chinese Culture -- metal, wood, water, fire and earth – played a key role, was embraced warmly. Jewellery featuring the five themes gave visitors special insight into the Chinese culture. Buyers whose target was to see both classic and contemporary jewels were not disappointed.

Another new feature, called Mirage, featured artists from Southeast Asia who demonstrated their talents in painting or drawing. The participation of visitors, in which they drew or painted under the guidance of the featured artist added to the upbeat mood.

The iconic Designer Pavilion drew in robust visits. It gave professional designers from home and abroad the platform to showcase their jewellery creations and have face-to-face interaction with the fair's global audience. Buyers in turn got insights into current designer viewpoints and market trends through their work.

Adding to the array of informative sessions and networking opportunities was another newly introduced feature -- the "Everyone Could be a Designer" activity. The interactive project is a collaborative undertaking among UBM Asia, 3D printing technology specialist iiiMark 3D, and Chinese charity organisation, Aimier. Under the guidance of a professional jewellery designer, art works by physically or mentally challenged children under the patronage of Aimier were made into jewellery items via 3D printing technology. Visitors, including more than 50 children, were also able to channel their inner artists by drawing. They had a chance to witness the many uses and benefits of 3D printing technology when their sketches were turned into real jewellery items.

"UBM will continue to devote to this kind of CSR program while advancing the development of jewellery industry. Similar practices will be implemented in our upcoming Shenzhen Jewellery Fair," says Mr Tan.

He concluded: "The robust number of participating exhibitors and the amount of booked space as well as the strong visitor turnout bear witness to the great success of this year's event."

Judging from the warm reception to this year's innovations, next year's edition of the Shanghai Jewellery Fair promises to be anything but conventional. "We will be back next year with yet another exciting fair that will help our exhibitors raise their market profile and that of their products," Mr Tan concluded.

The next edition of the China International Gold, Jewellery and Gem Fair – Shanghai will be held from 28 November to 1 December 2019 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre.

UBM Global Jewellery Events Calendar 2019

The China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai is organised by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/asia for more information about our presence in Asia.

Appendix: 14th China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai Fair Statistics

Breakdown of Total Visits (including revisits)

Visitors came from 32 countries and regions

Mainland China visitors came from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities

Breakdown of Exhibitors (by country and region)

SOURCE UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd