Trade Shows: Fear and Greed
The JCK Shows in Las Vegas and Orlando. JA New York Shows in spring and fall. The Couture Show in Phoenix. Regional shows in Columbus, Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami. And now Professional Jeweler’s new shows in October and February. What’s going on here? Why so many shows? Consider the words of Michael Douglas playing Gordon Gecko in the movie Wall Street: “Follow the money.” The money consists of fees collected by trade-show organizers from exhibitors and revenues collected by exhibitors from retailers patronizing the shows.
It’s been said that the proliferation of trade shows in the jewelry industry is a function of fear and greed. Fear, because the exhibiting manufacturers are afraid they’ll miss out on business that will then flow to competitors who do exhibit at the show. And greed because the exhibiting manufacturers are afraid they’ll miss