Hong Kong - The largest ever September Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair has begun with no sign of the protests promised by local gemstone manufacturers.
The event, which uses both the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the AsiaWorld-Expo venues, has expanded its space to 120,000 square metres, an increase of around a quarter compared with the 2008 event.
This year’s show has been simplified for visitors with the use of a product sectorisation policy. Exhibitors at AsiaWorld-Expo are showcasing raw materials, such as gemstones, equipment and packaging, while the exhibitors at HKCEC are showcasing only finished jewellery.
However, the plans were met with objection last year when around 100 exhibitors from local jewellery associations protested outside UBM Asia's Hong Kong offices, claiming that sectorisation would drive them from the HKCEC.
A spokesman from the Hong Kong Gemstone Manufacturers Association said that companies with products that fall into both classifications would have to exhibit at both venues, a cost they claimed small- to medium-sized exhibitors would not be able to afford. They also described it as an attempt to drive them from the HKCEC and make room for more finished jewellery exhibitors, better positioned to pay the higher space rates.
But speaking from this year’s show, a UBM spokeswoman told EW there had been no sign of any demonstration, and that no such protest was expected.
More than 3,000 exhibitors from 44 countries and regions are participating this year. “The total exhibition space and the number of exhibitors are up by 25 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively, compared to last year,” said president and CEO of UBM Asia, Jimé Essink. “Our product sectorisation policy and the expansion of HKCEC have enabled exhibitors to expand their exhibition space.”
