WCJE organizer announces Toronto trade show

by eyetee | November 30, 2012 7:56 pm

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Less than two months after Reed Exhibitions indefinitely postponed JCK Toronto, organizers of the Western Canadian Jewellery Expo (WCJE) are announcing a new trade show to take its place.

Canadian Jewellery Expos”“Toronto will be held Aug. 11 to 13 in the north building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Its Western Canada counterpart, WCJE, will now be known as Canadian Jewellery Expos”“Edmonton.

The events’ owner, Phil Payne, says he did not acquire JCK Toronto from Reed Exhibitions. Instead, CJEXPOS”“Toronto is a new show, though with a familiar feel.

“The show model that is being engaged in Toronto is the one that’s been successful over the last 50 years in Edmonton,” Payne tells Jewellery Business in an exclusive interview. “Our goal is to exceed what JCK presented in the previous year, and at this point in time, we’ve been favourably impressed with bookings for the Toronto show—we’re close to 50 per cent of our target.”

According to Payne, less than half of Canada’s 6000 jewellery retailers go to the Canadian shows, which he says is partly due to high travel costs. Incentives such as airline and car rental discounts, promotional pricing at select hotels in the area, and complimentary parking will be offered to reduce some of the expense and woo attendees.

“Our research shows about 80 per cent of attendees will drive to the show, so if you give them complimentary parking, it will take away one of the bigger impediments to attending,” Payne says. Other highlights include cocktails hours on the show floor and evening entertainment sponsored by core exhibitors.

Although JCK Toronto’s downtown location has been one of the sticking points raised by exhibitors and retailers over the years, Payne says the lack of exhibition space at or around the Toronto Congress Centre by the airport was a significant factor in deciding to hold CJEXPOS”“Toronto at its usual digs.

“The tradeoff is you have the entertainment amenities and hotel space downtown that you don’t have by the airport,” he adds.

With the apparent preference among retailers to do their purchasing in Las Vegas and combine it with a holiday, Payne says he and his team will be highlighting Toronto’s entertainment amenities.

“Toronto is not a Las Vegas in terms of what it offers, but it has a lot of fine recreational and entertainment amenities that are world-class,” he says. “[As show organizers], you have to work harder to get your clientele to come and buy. It’s not just about going to see what’s new in the marketplace, but having fun while you’re there. We think there’s an opportunity where we can differentiate ourselves from our predecessor.”

The shows’ new website—www.cjexpos.com[2]—is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/wjce-organizers-announce-toronto-trade-show/

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