March Trade Shows Report Mixed Results

New York--The month of March contained a flurry of activity for the trade, with three shows taking place in New York while the Baselworld show brought eight days of buying activity to Switzerland.

At the Javits Center in New York, the JA New York Spring show co-located for the first time with MJSA Expo and the Lueur antique show.

MJSA reported a 25 percent year-over-year increase in attendance. It said two factors were responsible for the rise--moving from its longtime home at the Hilton New York to the Javits Center as well as running concurrently with JA New York Spring.

“The first day, none of us (working the booth) had lunch, and it’s not very often that happens,” the association quoted Shawn Albert of Stuller as saying in its post-show release. “This year we wrote 60 percent more business.”

In addition to featuring leading vendors and manufacturers, the 2016 MJSA Expo also included a range of seminars covering everything from traditional skills to the future of manufacturing.

JA New York show organizers also reported an increase in attendance, boosted by the co-location with the other shows as well as a successful hosted buyer program and new March dates.

The hosted and VIP buyer program included hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the Javits Center, breakfast and lunch, and other amenities throughout the show.

In Switzerland, meanwhile, Baselworld show organizers said attendance was down 3 percent year-over-year as the 100th edition of the show was affected by a number of factors including a tougher economic environment than the previous year.

This is the third year in a row that the Swiss watch and jewelry show has seen attendance slip.

Show organizers also said that many people cancelled trips to Europe following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, which impacted end-of-year sales for many watch and jewelry brands.

The situation also was “compounded” by certain modifications for visa regulations, affecting all sectors of the industry, as well as the fact that inventory acquired during the holiday season was only partially sold, leading to a tough start to the year.