The JCK Show ~ Las Vegas announces the debut of the Luxury Swiss Watch Gallery, set to take place during the 2003 JCK Show ~ Las Vegas. The by-invitation-only event will be held May 30-June 3, 2003, at the Venetian Hotel Resort & Casino.

JCK has partnered with Steven Kaiser, president of Kaiser Time and former president of Baume & Mercier, in the creation of this event. Kaiser will help the JCK Show team plan the watch-specific event and solidify its relationship to the watch industry as a whole.

Additionally, since 2000, JCK has worked closely with Mort Gershman, former president of Movado, to understand and take the pulse of the luxury watch business and begin developing programs and strategies to enhance the presence of luxury watch brands both in the industry as a whole and at the JCK Shows.

A special watch industry advisory board is being established to assist in strategic direction and planning for the new pavilion. The advisory board will be made up of representatives from the leading watch brands and key retailers.

“We are very pleased to announce this new venture,” says Dave Bonaparte, vice president of the JCK Shows. “We are committed to supplying the industry with events that fully meet its needs, and the watch category is an area we feel had been previously under-addressed.”

Bonaparte says many retailers have expressed apprehension about traveling to Basel recently, yet still wanted to meet their Swiss watch vendors in a business-to-business environment. The vendors, he says, wanted to be exposed to a relevant pool of customers, but with a level of privacy and brand identity that could not be achieved on the general show floor.

The JCK Luxury Swiss Watch Gallery offers watch companies a turnkey program that includes luxury suites at the Venetian hotel for the duration of the JCK Show ~ Las Vegas, transportation to and from the airport for them and their customers, 24-hour security, rooms for key customers, and a variety of amenities, exclusive events, and valuable discounts on restaurants, gym, and spa facilities.

“Our objectives are convenience and exposure,” says Kaiser. “Housing the luxury Swiss watch brands at the Venetian alleviates inconvenience for buyers who would normally have to run all over Las Vegas for appointments. Now, they can work with more of their vendors in the same time frame. The program also allows watch vendors to work on the appointment basis they’re used to, with the retailers they want to see.

“With the help of Mort Gershman and Steve Kaiser, we put the two groups’ needs together and JCK’s Luxury Swiss Watch Gallery was born. Their combined knowledge and understanding of the watch industry and the needs of this group in particular is invaluable.”

JCK