The American Watch Guild and Centurion Jewelry By Invitation Only, LLC have announced the debut of the International Watch Conference at Centurion South Beach.

The invitation-only event will be the focal point of education at the Centurion South Beach Show, Oct.15-18 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Miami Beach, Fla.

“Better fine jewelry retailers are increasingly focused on the importance of watch brands in their marketing strategy,” said Howard Hauben (pictured), president and chief executive officer of Centurion. “There is a substantial amount of excellent, brand-related information available to retailers, but an International Watch Conference devoted to the ‘watch business’ is a new, value-added approach that will shed light on many highly controversial and money-making topics for prestige level retailers and brands, alike.”

“We are very excited to be working with Centurion on this important initiative,” said Bertram Kalisher, executive director of the American Watch Guild, which counts as its members some 200 fine retail stores in US and Canada listed at www.americanwatchguild.com. “We are regularly asked by our members to provide professional watch sales and service training information, and delivering to top retailers and brands an exciting, live event to cover highly controversial issues and money-making business ideas and strategies is both a win-win and a great mission.”

The conference will offer nine hours of sessions. Many passionate suggestions from retailers and manufacturers for ideal content have been pouring in, according to the organizers.

“We want to really dig into what’s critical to better watch retailers and brands and this will mean highly controversial topics like mandated margin reductions, discounting, Internet issues, supply issues, distribution challenges, which business models will and may not survive and so much more,” Kalisher said. “There will also be excellent general education on many aspects of the business that will assist retailers in building sales and profits of their watch lines.”

A portion of the proceeds from the conference will go toward the American Watch Guild effort to assist war veterans in becoming professional watch technicians.

In addition to the International Watch conference, the Centurion South Beach show offers retailer attendees social networking and hospitality events with meals, a collection floor with some 60 top jewelry and watch designers and manufacturers (open October 16 and 17), and an afternoon with golf and tennis. Invited retailers will also receive up to four nights at host Loews Miami Beach Hotel, on the ocean in the heart of South Beach, as well as complimentary meals and social functions and leisure activities.

For further information, contact the American Watch Guild at 516-295-2516, bert@americanwatchguild.com, or www.americanwatchguild.com; or Centurion at 1-888-427-4697, 516-377-5909, hh@centurionjewelry.com, or www.centurionjewelry.com.

JCK