PRESS RELEASE

Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong (JGW) rescheduled for 9 – 13 November at AsiaWorld-Expo

Bespoke digital event service complementing physical fairs to be launched later this year

HONG KONG, 8 July 2020 – Informa Markets – Jewellery is rescheduling Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong (JGW), the industry’s leading B2B fine jewellery event, for 9 – 13 November 2020 at the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE). The fair organiser is also preparing to launch a customised digital event service later this year, which is designed to meet the unique needs of the jewellery industry and enhance the exhibitor discovery experience of its physical shows.

Previously known as the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, JGW was originally set for September at two venues – 13 – 17 September at the AWE, where precious materials, including diamonds, coloured gemstones and pearls were to be showcased, and 15 – 19 September at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), the section of the fair usually dedicated to finished jewellery products, packaging solutions, equipment and supplies, and industry-related technologies.

“After careful consideration and a thorough review of all factors impacting JGW in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak, we have decided to organise a more compact fair in one venue this November. This rescheduling was reached with the well-being of our exhibitors, visitors, partners and colleagues as our top priority,” said David Bondi, Senior Vice President – Asia at Informa Markets.

Moving JGW to November, however, is a one-off arrangement and is made largely in response to industry partners’ requests for a B2B marketplace that will allow them to secure orders before the end of the year. The event will return to its September slot in 2021, Bondi continued.

“We recognise that the spate of show cancellations and postponements in the first half of the year makes the JGW sourcing experience more important than ever for our industry. It is the last global sourcing event on the jewellery trade show calendar this year, with the heaviest peak selling season just around the corner,” he said. “Rest assured, we will take every step available to ensure our participants get the best out of the fair.”

Industry association leaders expressed their support for Informa Markets – Jewellery’s initiative to stage JGW in November.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted jewellery wholesale activities for months on end. An international B2B trade fair in Hong Kong benefits the gem and jewellery industry by providing a much-needed marketplace for suppliers to showcase their products and for buyers to source for goods. Informa Markets’ Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong in November would allow business to resume and the industry to reconnect with each other,” according to Kent Wong, Chairman of the Hong Kong Jewellers’ and Goldsmiths’ Association.

Commenting on JGW’s rescheduling, Lawrence Ma, Founding President of the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China, said, “Trade shows are a function of the industry. We appreciate Informa Markets’ efforts to provide the jewellery trade with a platform to do business. Suppliers and exporters need to move their products, and buyers need to replenish their stock and source for goods. An international jewellery trade fair in November will provide Hong Kong and the international jewellery industry with a physical trading event when the market fully reopens. The extraordinary circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic warrant agility and flexibility to set the right environment for business. Having Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong in November will buoy the industry and create opportunities during challenging times.”

Ken Lo, Chairman of the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association, added, “We welcome Informa Markets’ decision to hold Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong later this year. We are hopeful that the business environment would have improved by then amid coronavirus containment efforts. This is a positive move for the international jewellery industry. Hong Kong jewellery suppliers would definitely embrace the opportunity to have a trading platform in November.”

The physical event will strictly adhere to health and safety guidelines, and enhanced cleaning protocols in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standard, added Celine Lau, Director of Jewellery Fairs at Informa Markets – Jewellery.

Exhibitor contracts and payments made for JGW, along with the special exhibitor benefits under the fair’s venue subsidy reinvestment programme announced in May, will carry over to the revised dates. Exhibitors who do not wish to join the November show may roll over their payments to the September 2021 edition.

The Informa Markets – Jewellery team will contact exhibitors individually to discuss detailed arrangements.

Also complementing the exhibition organiser’s in-person show experience is a bespoke digital event service debuting later this year, tangible proof of Informa Markets – Jewellery’s efforts to help the luxury jewellery industry get back on track.

“Our role in connecting the international jewellery community has been amplified in today’s challenging environment,” Lau said. “In the coming weeks, we will be sharing more information about our virtual event service.”

Meanwhile, following up on the postponement of Jewellery & Gem ASIA Hong Kong (JGA), Informa Markets – Jewellery announced that it plans to hold the show’s next edition in June 2021 in response to the requests of and direct feedback from exhibitors and industry partners.

Formerly called the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, the event was originally scheduled for 25 – 28 June 2020 at the HKCEC.

“We held extensive discussions with our industry partners and invited exhibitors to take part in a survey in the hopes of determining the best time to host JGA,” Lau said.

More than 80 percent of the poll’s 700 respondents chose June 2021 as the date for JGA’s next edition, she continued.

“We will do all that we can to ensure that the plans we have for 2021 are worth the wait. Members of our sales team will also get in touch with JGA exhibitors individually to discuss the arrangements for next year,” said Lau.

In addition, the JNA Awards, a core part of Informa Markets – Jewellery’s September events, will reschedule its 2020 awards ceremony and gala dinner for November to coincide with JGW. Details of this highly regarded awards event for the international jewellery trade will be announced shortly.