The Company of Master Jewellers’ (CMJ) Autumn Trade Event has been hailed a tremendous success by all who were there, with record-breaking attendance figures across the two days and busy exhibition halls from the moment they opened on day one until the very end of day two.
Following the introduction of its new CMJ Pay initiative for this event, retailer attendance numbers were at record post-pandemic numbers, nearly 30% higher than in previous years.
CMJ Pay sees the CMJ’s full, share-holding retail members receive an allocation of credit based on their turnover through the group, which is only available to spend with approved suppliers at the show. Not a penny was left on the trading floor at the end of the show, with 100% of the available spend allocated to exhibitors.
Retailers were able to view the latest collections from a wide range of suppliers, including top watch brands, leading fashion jewellery brands and fine jewellery businesses so they could complete their buying for the Christmas season all under one roof.
Suppliers across the board also praised the Company of Master Jewellers for introducing early booking incentives to ensure strong retailer attendance, with many exhibitors offering their own exclusive show-only deals to secure orders.
The show’s Digital Zone once again showcased the latest in online and technological developments in retail, featuring demonstrations in AI, product design and digital marketing, while the comprehensive seminar programme in the educational zone provided inspiration and insight across topics including sales trends, marketing, and festive visual merchandising.
The group’s strategic drive to encourage member attendance also resulted in record numbers at both of the show’s evening events. The Saturday evening before the show opened saw 250 members come together at its informal network evening, while the main Sunday evening dinner saw its largest ever attendance, driven by the overall increased number of retailer members at the show.
Emmet Cummins, Managing Director of the Company of Master Jewellers, said: “It is extremely pleasing for so many reasons when a show is as vibrant and as commercially successful as the one we have just witnessed. It is a really positive sign that the retail sector in particular is experiencing firsthand the upturn in consumer confidence and the slowly increasing footfall that market insights have being predicting over the past quarter or so. It was a soft Q3/Q4 last year when the economic pressures peaked, and retail is keen to build on the momentum from Q2 and stretch that into the most critical trading quarters of the year.
“Our show’s record attendance, the record level of spend and the record level of retailers deciding to take new brands supports all of this.
“The fact that the CMJ is able to provide our retail businesses the opportunity to achieve this commercial position and load them onto the front foot is fundamental to our purpose. I am thrilled that the CMJ has nailed that objective at this event.”
