Themed ‘Thailand: Treasure Road to the World’, the debut Thailand Gems & Jewelry Fair (TGJF) was held from 15 to 18 June 2017 at Impact Challenger 2 in Bangkok. Organised by Thai Gems and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA) and supported by the public and private sectors including the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the fair received 12,944 visitors including 5,728 foreign buyers. Top visiting countries are China, India, Myanmar, Japan and the United States.
An array of events such as multiple fashion jewellery catwalks and a seminar on jewellery branding and business development by Italian jewellery designer Alessio Boschi were held during the four-day show. A highlight event was a jovial dinner party held on the first day that ended in rounds of karaoke performances of classic songs in various languages by guests.
“Participating in this event not only creates trade opportunities and effective networking, but also collectively brings together international manufacturers, traders and customers. Thus, it is considered a great opportunity to publicise and promote ASEAN+6 gems and jewellery so it will become well-known throughout the world,” said Simon Chan, vice president of Shanghai Gems and Jade Exchange, China.
Exhibitors commonly described the show to be slow with few visitors. Apart from the general economic underperformance, the proximity of the show dates of the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair which opened one week after TGJF is also considered a reason.
A representative of Thai ruby and sapphire supplier SVD Gems Ltd said they are satisfied with the fair as they could meet old customers and business was acceptable. To expand their market reach, this year they just started selling gemstones online to retail customers via social media.
Ellen Huang, director of silver jewellery manufacturer Silver Moon Infinity explained her reasons to join the debut show: “We have to help each other in such economic situation. When somebody tries to create a solution, we have to help while waiting to ride out the storm.” To differentiate itself from competitors, Huang is switching to higher-end production made with semi-precious stones and creating new collections with nano gems.
Suttipong Damrongsakul, president of TGJTA announced that the second edition of TGJF would be held during mid-2018.
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