The 7th edition of the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair: A beacon of light amidst the stormy global economy

NEWS RELEASE For immediate release The 7th edition of the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  --  Shenzhen concluded on a high note at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center on 1 March. The four-day event provided gem and jewellery traders an all-in-one platform that enabled them to buy and sell merchandise, share experiences and update themselves with the latest market intelligence. Here are the vital facts and figures: • The 308 exhibitors came from 13 countries and regions, namely China, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Korea, the Philippines, Poland, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United States. • A total of 6,728 visitors from 76 countries and regions was recorded. • Among all visitors, 5,178 were from mainland China’s 23 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities • Top 10 groups of visitors (outside China and Hong Kong) came from the United States, followed by Taiwan, Australia, Italy, India, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Thailand and Malaysia. “The China market is relatively immune from the global economic downturn. We got positive response from exhibitors. They were pleased with the traffic and the level of business transacted at the Fair. Although the current economic scenario affected the visitor numbers, we saw an outstanding growth in the number of overseas buyers coming from some European countries and emerging markets like Portugal, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Belgium. We are glad that the Fair was able to bring new business opportunities in these markets to our exhibitors," said Mr Sunny Chan, Jewellery Fairs Manager (China) of UBM Asia. The organiser was honoured to have Mr Zhuo Qin Rui, Vice Mayor of the People’s Government of Shenzhen Municipality, as the officiating guest at the Opening Ceremony. Industry associations and leading corporations were also represented at the ceremony, including: the China Gold Association, China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation, China Gold, China National Gold Group Marketing Co Ltd, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Hong Kong & Macau Representative Office, National Gems & Jewelry Technology Administrative Centre, Shenzhen Gem Testing Centre, Guangdong Gold & Silver Jewelry Association, Guangdong Jewellery & Gem Industry Association,  Shenzhen Bureau of Trade and Industry, Gold Association of Guangdong Province, Tianjin Gold Ornaments Association, CIEC Exhibition Company Ltd and World Gold Council.   Comments from Exhibitors “We manufacture jewellery set with diamonds and gemstones with prices ranging from US$500 to US$10,000. We’ve been participating in many international fairs but this is our first time to participate in the China Fair. We met a number of buyers from Beijing, Shanghai and Indonesia and they showed a strong interest in our products. We are impressed with the traffic here and are satisfied with the services provided by the organiser. Although the Fair still has room for improvement in terms of scale, we believe it already serves as an effective trading platform for us to tap into the China market. We will participate again next year.” Mr Marco Tan, Sales Manager, Marvelli International Ltd, Hong Kong   “We’ve been exhibiting in this Shenzhen Fair for four years now. We specialise in fine finished jewellery and pearl products. The response was pretty good and we are happy to have met a numbers of target buyers here and have closed business deals on-site. This Fair is a cost-effective way for us to promote our business.” Mr Liang Shu Biao, Director, Shenzhen Matis Jewelry Co Ltd, China “We are a manufacturer, wholesaler and trader of diamonds and fine finished jewellery. This Fair is a good platform for building up connections with players in China’s jewellery industry. We saw many overseas buyers in the fairground. Generally, we are satisfied with the Fair, especially with the organiser’s services.” Mr Yin Chan, Senior Sales Manager, Waddy Jewellery Group, Hong Kong “We are wholesalers of diamonds and this is the second time we have participated in this Shenzhen Fair. This Fair provides a trading platform for us to meet our target clients. We saw good traffic in the aisles this year. We are satisfied with the overall services. We will be back again next year.” Ms Fey Li, Shenzhen Cheungning Jewellery Co Ltd, Marketing Manager, China Comments from Visitors “This is my second visit to this Fair and this time, our aim was to source semi-precious jewellery. Last year’s Fair gave me a good impression and therefore, we visit the Fair again this year. Everything is fantastic here and everyone is so friendly and helpful. The Fair is professional and the products are of good quality. I probably will visit this show again next year.”  Ms Heather L Martinez, Administrative Director, Contempo World Inc, US “We are importers of fine finished jewellery and silver jewellery from the United States. This is our first visit to this Fair, on the invitation of our supplier in China. I met quite a number of new suppliers as well. The quality of the products is impressive, while the Fair helped me to know more about the China market. We will visit again next year.” Ms Kelly Herd, Owner, Kelly Herd Jewelry, US “This is my first visit to this Fair. We were invited by our partner in China. We were able to find some new suppliers here. The prices of the displayed products are good and the product quality is acceptable. I like this venue because its location is convenient.” Mr Paulo Cruz, Representative, José Cândido Cruz, Lda, Portugal   “We are wholesalers of diamond jewellery in China. We know this fair from the organiser’s invitation. This is our fourth visit to the Fair. My goals in coming here were to update my market intelligence and to source for new products. The Fair is well organised. I am satisfied with the product quality and variety. Certainly I will come again next year.” Ms Yao Shao Feng, Representative, Bao Li Feng Zhu Bao, China Special events and seminars In addition to the wide array of quality products on display, the Fair also provided great opportunities for gathering vital market intelligence, delivered by industry experts: 26 Feb 2009 Seminar on the “Latest updates on the global jewellery industry and market trends” Where the market would go amidst the economic crisis is one hot topic for international jewellers. To answer this, the Fair organiser lined up industry experts and leaders of top jewellery brands in China in a seminar titled “Latest updates on the global jewellery industry and market trends.” Speakers included: 1/. Ms Christie Dang, Publisher and Editor of Jewellery News Asia – Chinese edition; 2/. Mr Jiang Hua, Vice Director of the Editorial Center of China Gold News; 3/. Mr Huang Li Hang, Director, China Business of Waddy Jewellery Co Ltd; 4/. Mr Wu Feng Hua, Director of TTF Studio; and 5/. Mr Zhao Dong, General Manager of Shenzhen Chinared Jewelry Co Ltd. Speakers shared their insights into today’s competitive market, starting with a discussion on the problems that China’s jewellery enterprises are facing. The seminar got a resounding feedback and attracted over 100 attendees 27 Feb 2009 – the “Gold Day” China’s gold industry managed to grow in 2008. China’s gold output topped 282 tons last year, a 4.26-percent increase compared with the previous year, helping the nation retain its spot as the world’s biggest gold mining country. “Gold Day” hosted by the China Gold Association took place on 27 February and put the spotlight on China’s gold jewellery industry. It included a series of seminars that provide industry players with the latest updates on China’s gold jewellery market and industry trends: Seminar on “Trends in China’s Gold Jewellery Market 2009” revealed the hottest items and the upcoming jewellery trends in the China market. Seminar on “China Gold Franchise Store” had industry specialists sharing their views about opportunities in China’s gold jewellery market through franchising. Factory Visit Programme The organiser arranged a factory visit programme for overseas visitors, and three jewellery manufacturers in Shenzhen were invited to introduce their factories. Participants of this programme were from 11 countries, namely the UK, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Thailand, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Singapore, Austria, Bolivia, and South Africa. Participants agreed that the programme provided a worthwhile experience. For Fair details, please contact: Sales Department, Jewellery Fairs UBM Asia Ltd Tel： (852) 2516 1677 / 2858 6179 Fax： (852) 3749 7542 Email: salescjw@cmpasia.com For media enquiries, please contact: Marketing Communications Department, Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia Ltd Tel： (852) 2516 1649 Fax： (852) 3749 7318 Email：presscjw@cmpasia.com Appendix The 7th China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shenzhen Breakdown of Visitors Number of visitors from mainland China 5,178 77% Number of overseas and Hong Kong visitors  1,550 23% Total number of registered visitors 6,728  100% Visitors came from 74 countries and regions  (In addition to mainland China and Hong Kong) 1  Afghanistan 26  Hungary 51  Peru 2  Algeria 27  India 52  Philippines 3  Argentina 28  Indonesia 53  Poland 4  Australia 29  Iran 54  Portugal 5  Austria 30  Israel 55  Russia 6  Belgium 31  Italy 56  San Marino 7  Bolivia 32  Ivory Coast 57  Saudi Arabia 8  Brazil 33  Japan 58  Singapore 9  Brunei Darussalam 34  Jordan 59  South Africa (Rep of) 10  Bulgaria 35  Kazakhstan 60  Spain 11  Cambodia 36  Korea 61  Swaziland 12  Canada 37  Kuwait 62  Switzerland 13  Chile 38  Lebanon 63  Syrian Arab Republic 14  Cyprus 39  Macau 64  Taiwan 15  Czech Republic 40  Madagascar (Dem Rep of) 65  Thailand 16  Denmark 41  Maderia 66  Trinidad and Tobago (Rep of) 17  Egypt 42  Malaysia 67  Tunisia 18  Estonia (Rep of) 43  Mexico 68  Turkey 19  Finland 44  Morocco 69  UK 20  France 45  Myanmar (Union of) 70  Ukraine 21  Germany 46  Netherland 71  United Arab Emirates 22  Greece 47  New Zealand 72  United States 23  Guatemala 48  Norway 73  Vietnam 24  Hawaii 49  Pakistan 74  Yemen (Rep of) 25  Honduras (Rep of) 50  Panama (Rep of)       Mainland China visitors came from 23 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities： 1  Anhui 13  Jiangxi 2  Chongqing 14  Ningxia 3  Fujian 15  Qinghai 4  Gansu 16  Shaanxi 5  Guangdong 17  Shandong 6  Guangxi 18  Sichuan 7  Guizhou 19  Tianjin 8  Hainan 20  Xinjiang 9  Henan 21  Xizang 10  Hubei 22  Yunnan 11  Hunan 23  Zhejiang 12  Jiangsu        Breakdown of Exhibitors  (by country or region)    Country and Region Number of Exhibitors 1  China 236 2  Hong Kong 52 3  India 1 4  Israel 2 5  Italy 1 6  Korea 1 7  Philippines 1 8  Poland 1 9  Tahiti 1 10  Taiwan 3 11  Thailand 3 12  Turkey 3 13  USA 3   Total:  308