NEW YORK — When it comes to accessories and fine jewelry trade shows, organizers are working to give retailers what they want, when they want it, all under one easy-to-navigate roof.
Some trade shows have simplified their layouts and are wooing visitors with promotions, big-name guest speakers and seminars.
JA New York is celebrating its 100th anniversary and is offering a gas rebate for the first 50 retailers to arrive each day, and is also doling out $1,000 certificates to buyers to purchase products from any exhibitor as an incentive at the JA New York Winter show, Jan. 22-24.
In March, JCK will launch the JCK NYC Invitational. “This show is for high-volume buyers and independents that need to buy more often [than smaller retailers],” said Dave Bonaparte, vice president of JCK Events. Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Jack Welch, legendary ex-chief of General Electric, are the keynote speakers for the inaugural show at the Hilton here, March 5-7.
For eyewear, International Vision Expo East — with about 569 domestic and international vendors and 14,400 attendees annually — has continued with The Underground, a stark white showroom-like space housing cutting-edge eyewear from Christian Roth, Judith Leiber and Chrome Hearts, among others. Vision Expo East takes place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, March 30-April 2.
“It helps keep all of our attendees on-site,” said John Moriarty, event director for International Vision Expo and Midwest Vision Congress and Expo. “If we didn’t do this for them, they’d be running all over the city on appointments.”
Vision Expo East also will host a fashion panel discussion on eyewear trends on March 31, with designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka, journalist Marylou Luther, Hollywood stylist Phillip Bloch, designer Robert Marc and In Style magazine accessories director Alice Kim.
ENK International is launching a new accessories show called Clear, to run Feb. 5-7 at Gotham Hall. This show, which previously was called Platinum, will feature 40 to 50 European and American accessories brands during the fall ready-to-wear shows.
AccessoriesTheShow will launch a fashion video program at its show, Jan. 8-10 in the Javits Center. A six-minute presentation with models, animation and music focusing on trends in texture, styling, color and mood will be looped on screens in various spots around the show floor.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
“We reinvest heavily to keep [our shows] new and fresh each season,” said Britton Jones, president of AccessoriesTheShow and president and chief executive officer of Business Journals Inc. “That’s the key to our success.”