Exhibitors, Attendees Out in Force at JCK Las Vegas ’06
Diamonds.net, NY
(Rapaport…June 4, 2006) The 15th annual JCK Las Vegas Show kicked-off officially on June 3, 2006, but Sunday, June 4 was the first day in which all exhibitors and attendees were expected at the show following the Jewish holiday of Shavout.
In observing the exhibition hall during opening hours on June 4, some exhibitors still had not arrived to set-up however.
Overall, JCK Las Vegas 2006 kicked-off with a healthy attendance and some new show features.
The Prestige Promenade debuted, and the show’s Italian Pavilion brought together some 170 jewelry manufactures from Italy.
Dave Bonaparte, vice president of JCK Events said that his team had spent the past year “listening to our customers” and developed “thought-provoking events” for 2006.
Early in the day on June 4, the Diamond Promotion Service (DPS) held a marketing awareness seminar for its newest campaign set to launch in July/August 2006 called “Journey” diamond jewelry. The Journey line is defined as a graduated use of diamonds –in sequence from small to large– using at least four single diamonds one significant diamond.
Journey symbolizes how love grows deeper in time said brand architect Diane Warga-Arias adding that the diamond jewelry line is personalized for couples. “It symbolizes how love grows over time,” she said.
Lynn Diamond, DPS executive director, said that the “Past Present and Future” campaign contributed more than $10 billion in sales during the past five years; and she suggested that Journey “could be the next” launch to hit the $10 billion mark in time.
Claudia Rose of advertising agency JWT said that Journey was built to create a new interest in diamond jewelry, and “ignite customer interest” in diamonds. Rose said developing the marketing plan required a new approach. “We used research to discover what people would love to have,” and then make and sell what “we know they want.”
Of those diamond jewelry customers queried by JWT some 30 percent browsed or shopped for diamonds at least once each month. When DPS launched Past Present and Future 45 percent of those queried reported the concept was of interest to them; however, the figure was 71 percent for the Journey diamond jewelry collection. Seventy-six percent of women agreed that Journey was a unique product, Rose said, and nearly as many men agreed.
JWT’s Richard Lenox reiterated the product launch timeline, which is planned well in advance of the Christmas holiday in order to optimize sales during the shopping season.
(Lynn) Diamond announced at the end of her presentation that she would be leaving DPS to pursue a career in law.
