| Press Releases |
Couture Show Increases Exhibitors, Attendance and International Presence
June 9, 2008
June 9, 2008 New York, NY—With the dust settling on another Las Vegas Market Week, the figures for Couture 2008 have been tallied and the results show that attendance at Couture 2008 neared 4,900—a record high in a year where the rest of the jewelry industry has reported low turnout. Contained in this number is the impressive increase in two key areas—international retailers and the VIP Cornerstone Retailer program. International attendance was up 20%, and the Cornerstone Retailer program - a segment of "best buyers" from across the country - brought in 30% more retailers than last year. As for the exhibit community, two hundred and forty eight brands (up from 232 last year), including sought-after icons such as David Yurman, Roberto Coin, Scott Kay, Mikimoto, John Hardy, and Hearts On Fire, exhibited at Couture. Couture’s unique model – being both exclusive and accessible, assured exhibitors of seeing the retailers they wanted to see, and over 85% of the designers showed exclusively at Couture to better focus on this group of retailers.“This year’s numbers show that Couture is on the right evolutionary course,” said Lee Arevian, Vice President of Couture. “It is a definite sign of this event's strength that we have not only been able to grow the number of exhibitors and attendees, but that we have been able to do so during these challenging times. ”An important factor in Couture's growth was the increase international attendance in the all-important BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. With retailers such as Ronald Abram, Fairton, TSUM/Mercury, Golconda, and Cosmos-Zoloto, as well as buyers from Middle Eastern countries such as Dubai and Istanbul shopping the show, Couture delivered more non-US consumers of luxury than ever before."Couture was a record show for us this year,” notes Couture designer Scott Kay, “European and Asian retailer appointments were at an all time high in our salon, with a tone of positioning themselves for exclusive opportunities. Seeing the European and Asian clientele gravitate to our larger, more robust men's designs is a true change in the buying habits of fine jewelry retail internationally."Noted Scott Marshall of Scott Marshall Public Relations, who handles publicity for Couture jeweler KONSTANTINO, “Not only did we meet our show sales goals, which had a 25% increase, we exceeded it by an additional 20%!” “While KONSTANTINO is undergoing a major re-branding, we could not have pulled these numbers without the kind of Couture that was brought to the table.” Even US retailers - the hardest hit by the economic climate - attended Couture in greater numbers. Dozens of stores in the Cornerstone Retailer program brought more team members to Couture to shop the best brands. Multiple buyers and key executives from some of the most successful retailers in the industry, such as Finlay Fine Jewelry, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Bernie Robbins, and 125 other stores in the program attended Couture to see the latest trends and to decide which designs to carry in their stores this holiday season.Couture is the premier international jewelry event that brings top designers and high-end retailers from around the world together in an exclusive, luxurious environment. Conveniently held during Market Week at the Wynn Las Vegas, Couture started 14 years ago and has grown into the preeminent annual show for this exclusive portion of the professional jewelry community. Couture also hosts two smaller pavilions within the JA New York Summer and Winter shows. For more information visitwww.couture09.com.
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