The 2003 Basel international watch and jewelry fair (April 2-10) will unveil a “new brand image,” including a new logo, capping three years of show expansion, improvements, and changes, says new show manager Monica Guarnaccia.
Guarnaccia, whose appointment as show director was effective Jan. 10, continues as the marketing and communications manager of the fair. Martin Fergusson is show director of watch brands, and Sylvie Sengelin is show director of jewelry and related brands. René Kamm, chairman of MCH Basel Exhibition Ltd., which runs the Basel Fair, and chief executive officer of its parent firm MCH Swiss Exhibition Ltd., remains general manager of global exhibitors, including the Fair.
The show’s new “brand image” will be unveiled at the 2003 Fair. Guarnaccia detailed this year’s changes in a Jan. 15 interview with JCK.
Luxury goods research. The fair has hired Ipsos, an international research firm, to collect detailed data annually on the global luxury goods industry and issues facing its retailers, suppliers, and consumers. The data also will provide topics for the fair’s annual Forums beginning in 2004. The first study starts in April, and results will be released in September in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
The 2003 edition of the annual Basel Forum will present “When Diamonds Shine Through Fog,” dealing with challenges to luxury goods in a difficult environment, said Guarnaccia. Registration (100 Swiss francs, about $65) for the 450-seat Forum (April 6) begins in February.
One show, two locations. Starting this year, the Fair will be divided between Basel and Zurich. At the Basel site will be branded watches and jewelry; Zurich will have national pavilions for non-branded watches and jewelry and will include national pavilions for Belgian and Israeli loose diamond dealers—a first for both. Free shuttle buses to Zurich will leave every 15 minutes from Basel’s Hall 1 (watches). In a waiting-lounge tent, attendees can also make appointments with Zurich exhibitors through representatives of the national pavilions.
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