AGTA GemFair, Antique Show to Co-Locate in Las Vegas in 2019

New York--The American Gem Trade Association and U.S. Antique Shows have announced that their Las Vegas trade shows will be co-located at the Las Vegas Convention Center beginning in 2019.

The annual Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, which features about 400 exhibitors, moved from the Paris hotel and casino to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the June 2017 event, a relocation it has now made permanent.

The AGTA GemFair Las Vegas event currently is held in the South Pacific and Islander Ballrooms in Mandalay Bay as part of JCK Las Vegas. In 2019, the latter will move back to the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

AGTA and U.S. Antique Shows said the move is designed to enhance their respective markets through an increased access to international buyers and cohesive exhibitions. The move also will provide AGTA with more opportunities to grow and market its GemFair Las Vegas event.

“We carefully researched all facets of this partnership prior to making the decision to align with U.S. Antique Shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center,” AGTA CEO Doug Hucker said.

“Through on-going conversations with our members, as well as multiple discussions within the board and in committees, we came to the conclusion that it’s time for an evolution for AGTA GemFair Las Vegas. The collaboration with Emerald Expositions was a logical choice; not only is the move mutually beneficial to both of our exhibitors and attendees, but there is also a commonality in the perspectives and goals of each of our organizations.”

Gannon Brousseau, Senior Vice President of Emerald Expositions’ Jewelry Group, said, “There is tremendous cross-promotional appeal between these two autonomous yet complementary events, and this partnership will ultimately contribute to the prosperity of the entire trade.”

Further information about the 2019 events will be released in the coming months.

Meanwhile, JCK Events also announced Wednesday that it will expand its JCK Las Vegas show in 2019 to include a new International Gemstone neighborhood featuring gemstone suppliers from around the globe.

The new neighborhood will run alongside JCK Las Vegas in the Sands Expo and Convention Center. It will be held from June 1 to June 5, 2019, opening one day before JCK.

“Adding an international presence for gemstone suppliers offers a unique, unrivaled opportunity for our vast audience of 20,000-plus domestic and global buyers,” said Yancy Weinrich, senior vice president of JCK. “With