Going into its fourth year, the West Coast Jewelry Show will move back to the Los Angeles/Beverly Hills area for the 2008 Edition, set for Aug. 16-18, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City.

The popular Centurion Show will present a fully contained Centurion Los Angeles Pavilion of some 70 salons of higher-end manufacturer and designer exclusive collections geared to the prestige level of the fine jewelry trade. Centurion Los Angeles Pavilion exhibitors will present their collections in the hotel’s Los Angeles Ballroom in themed hard-wall salons with headers and overhead lighting.

The California Showroom, the Century Plaza’s largest meeting and convention space just across from the Los Angeles Ballroom on the same level, will play host to a pipe-and-drape environment of some 130 booths of important vendors of gold, diamonds, sterling silver, gemstones and much more at all price levels.

“We believe the combination of the higher-end Centurion Los Angeles Pavilion and the California Showroom exhibits will make for a rewarding and well-rounded shopping experience for all attending retailers,” said Howard Hauben, president of WCJS show and owner and producer of H2 Events.

“We, the Board of Directors of the California Jewelers Association, are excited to see the West Coast Jewelry Show return to the Century Plaza,” said Rick Velayo, Gleim, Inc., Palo Alto, CA and president, CJA. “This venue has been the site of many a memorable and successful Pacific Jewelry Show, the predecessor to the West Coast Jewelry Show. This move, combined with the new format, provides an exclamation point to the most important benefit to the members of the CJA and all jewelers on the west coast.”

As was the case at the 2007 show in Anaheim, retail jewelers coming to WCJS from 50 miles or more will qualify for a complimentary night in the Century Plaza. For 2008 the complimentary (room and tax) will be based on availability and completion of at least six confirmed meetings with exhibitors at the show.

WCJS will again offer a $30 Gasoline reimbursement program, based on at least three completed meetings with exhibitors at the show. Gasoline reimbursement will be for stores coming to WCJS from 25-49 miles from the Century Plaza. There will be up to one reimbursement per store per show day and the gasoline incentive cannot be combined with a complimentary room. In addition to rooms and gas, WCJS will also offer a self-parking reimbursement for those store representatives coming to the show from fewer than 25 miles away, with rules to be announced.

Exhibitors and attendees will also receive $20 lunch vouchers for meals at the concessions in the California Showroom on Sunday and Monday.

The show also will be offerings special attendance packages for invited retailers of the Centurion Los Angeles Pavilion. These will include two nights (room and tax) in the Century Plaza, a special dinner with entertainment, special buffet in the Pavilion on two of the three show days, and airfare reimbursements. These incentives will be based on an invited jewelry store committing to and completing a set number of meetings with Centurion Los Angeles Pavilion and California Showroom exhibitors.

WCJS will employ the meeting room space on the same level as the exhibits to offer excellent retailer education under the Holiday Boot Camp banner. The schedule for these sessions will be developed in cooperation with CJA, the official show sponsor.

CJA will also present its Robert B. Westover Distinguished Service Award to its 2008 recipient at a special event at the Century Plaza during the show, with full details to be announced. Past winners include Dick Kern, Churchill’s Jewelers, Santa Barbara, Jim Hartstein, Jewels By Joseph, Newport Beach, Gary Long , Gary Long’s Jewelers, Stockton, and Arthur Gleim, Gleim, Inc., Palo Alto.

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine