Registration Open for Jewelers of America National Convention

Jewelers of America (JA) recently unveiled the agenda and opened registration for its first annual Jeweler of America National Convention. The convention, which focuses on education for jewelry professionals, will take place July 28–29 at the Intercontinental Barclay hotel in New York City.

The convention’s keynote presentations and breakout sessions will focus on current industry issues and subjects, including lab-grown diamonds, omnichannel marketing, retail design, and supply chain regulations. In addition to its learning sessions, the event will offer hands-on learning through “Retail Innovation and Diamond Detection Labs.”

Political forecaster Charlie Cook will be presenting “Election Outlook 2020,” offering his expert take on the upcoming election season.

Presenting “Key Investment Trends to Watch” is chief markets economist for JPMorgan Private Bank, Michael Vaknin. Vaknin will share key investment themes, as well as potential short- and long-term impacts on the overall retail sector, based on the most current macroeconomic outlook.

For the final keynote presentation, Neeraj Mehta, chief executive officer of Synchrony’s Payment Solutions, will present “Buying Trends and Value Propositions,” covering the jewelry path-to-purchase journey and how to leverage technology and digital to improve the customer experience.

The remaining breakout learning sessions are:

“Understanding the Empowered Consumer”

“Solving the Challenge of Lab-Grown Diamond Detection”

“Enhance the Customer Experience”

“Policy & Retail: Why What Happens in D.C. Matters”

“Omnichannel Marketing: Deliver Your Brand Message Where Customers Shop”

“Social Media: Turning ‘Likes’ Into Brand Love”

“Breaking Down Blockchain’s Potential for Jewelers”

“The Customer Mindset: Connecting for Lifetime Loyalty”

“Responsible Sourcing in the Jewelry Supply Chain”

“Disrupting the Marketplace: Opportunities & Challenges of Selling Lab-Grown Diamonds”

“The speaker lineup is careful crafted to provide jewelry professionals—from C-Suite executives to managers and sales associates—with the essential information they need to succeed,” said David J. Bonaparte, JA president and CEO, in a statement. “We will tackle tough issues with dynamic speakers and counterbalance the education with inclusive social events that connect and inspire.”

As with any good jewelry event, there will, of course, be time for networking, with complimentary cocktail parties and planned social activities. The event is also taking place at the beginning of Jewelry Week in New York, and attendees will have access to discounted tickets to the Women’s Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence and American Gem Society’s Circle of Distinction galas, taking place July 29 and July 30, respectively.

For more information on the new event, visit jewelers.org.

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