Midwest Jewelers’ Event Has New Name, Home

Kansas City, Mo.--The former Jewelers Education Conference & Show, which is held every other year and serves independent jewelry retailers in the middle of the country, is now the Midwest Jewelers Conference & Show, and has new dates and a new home.

While the last show took place in July, show organizers said the MJC is reverting to its traditional spring weekend to provide more advantageous timing for both vendors and jewelers. 

It officially will begin on the afternoon of Friday, April 1, which has been earmarked for board meetings of the state associations sponsoring the show, followed by a free evening.

Educational programming and vendor displays then open the morning of Saturday, April 2, and continue through midday on Sunday, April 3.

Though the event traditionally was held in suburban Kansas City, Mo., it now will take place in the Power & Light Entertainment District downtown, a move designed to “accentuate a restructured agenda that eliminates slow time for vendor-sponsors and consolidates educational and social time for jewelers and their families.”

The opening keynote speaker will be Bill Jones, president of Sissy’s Log Cabin Fine Jewelry. Jones will share the story of how his mother Sissy Jones began a jewelry store in a rented log cabin and maintained it as a family business throughout half a century of growth.

Other featured speakers include Terry Chandler, president of the Diamond Council of America, who will moderate a town hall meeting on “Diamond Grading Reports: The Jeweler’s Ticking Time Bomb.” 

David Brown, president of The Edge Retail Academy, and Becka Johnson Kibby will present a series of three seminars on “Succession and The Life Cycle of Your Store,” and Doug Hucker, president of the American Gem Trade Association, will present “Falling in Love with Color.” 

Shannon Oleen, a professional speaker, athlete and former cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, will lead a seminar on “Working with Different Generations” and give the closing keynote, “Overcoming Roadblocks and Turning Your Goals into Reality.”

Registration costs $175 per person, with hotel costs starting at $159 per night. For additional information or to register for the event, visit the Midwest Jewelers Conference & Show website or call 1-800-487-7822.