While at Baselworld I was planning to spend at least one day at the inaugural Jewellery & Gem Fair – Europe 2014 tradeshow held in Freiburg, Germany. However, a Lufthansa pilot strike forced me to leave Europe early so I didn’t get to attend.
The only report I received on opening day was that there was a good crowd and positive feeling. A report from UBM, the organizer of the B2B sourcing fair held April 1 - 4, said that 6,000 trade professionals attended.
The show presented a range of goods including finished jewelry, diamonds and colored gemstones, jewelry mountings, and manufacturing tools and equipment.
Of the 6,000 visitors, about 4,280 were professional buyers, according to UBM. Most of these buyers were from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Brazil. The show is held at approximately the same time as Baselworld and is about an hour away by train, giving jewelry industry professionals the opportunity to attend both shows.
“The vast majority of exhibitors and traders viewed the exhibition as a success. We are very pleased with the positive feedback from the market and see this as a confirmation that JGF Europe is now listed as an important industry event in the jewelry calendar,” said Wolfram Diener, senior VP of UBM Asia.
The 2015 edition is scheduled for March 22 to 25. Due to an increase in the demand for exhibition space, the fair will occupy an additional hall at Messe Freiburg, UBM said.
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