An Astounding Success

This year’s International Jewellery Tokyo (IJT) – the largest jewellery show in Japan - took place from January 11th to 14th at Tokyo Big Sight. The 23rd edition of the event, IJT 2012 featured a total of 1,063 exhibitors from 30 countries, who together brought the world’s most exquisite and finest jewellery and gems. Two –third of the companies were Japanese, while the remaining onethird were international companies. Country pavilions included those from Germany, Italy, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, as well as the USA, which had a country pavilion at IJT for the first time. This year’s theme country was Germany. Led by the German Federation of German Jewellery, Watches, Clocks, Silverware, and Related Industries, the German Pavilion featured the best of the German jewellery and gem suppliers, drawing much admiration to their superior craftsmanship. The vast international representation of quality jewel suppliers at IJT has continued to make it - one of the world’s longest running jewellery fair - a shining success.

Best Buying Opportunity of the Year

Despite the subdued economic environment worldwide, IJT 2012 created a vibe that is matched by few, if any, of the other trade events. The four-day show attracted 33,872 professional visitors from 2 Opening Ribbon Cut Ceremony around Japan and across Asia. And it is not just the quantity that was impressive, but the
quality too. From the biggest chain stores, such as As-me Estelle, Tsutsumi, Verite, and Stone Market, to small jewellery boutiques from faraway cities, top buyers from around Japan came visit IJT, viewing it as their most important buying opportunity of the year.

Their attendance is best witnessed at the opening ceremony, where top jewelers were among the 49 dignitaries who performed the ribbon-cut. Such a superior level of attendance was by no means a coincidence, but rather the result of the relentless efforts by the organizer to invite buyers. Indeed, the organizer seemed to have gone an extra mile to boost business at the fair. Pamphlets containing exhibitors’ product information were widely distributed prior to IJT. In the weeks leading up to the fair, it is reported
that designated staff was calling up buyers personally to invite and remind them to visit IJT.

International Buyers Arrived in Droves

The number of international visitors at IJT has been increasing in recent years. This year, about 3,000 of them visited the fair from all around the world, particularly Asia. Out of them 1,000 were premium buyers hosted by the organizer, from countries including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and India. Especially India, the number has doubled from that of last year, thanks to the cooperation from four different jewelers associations. The high quality, huge selection, fine design, and price competitiveness of products at IJT draw international buyers like magnets. Furthermore, to facilitate their buying onsite, the organizer provided to these premium buyers concierge service that included assistance with interpreting. Some of their favourite products were pearls, diamonds, platinum jewellery, and high quality gemstones.

High Exhibitor Satisfaction

An exhibition would not be of any value unless its exhibitors are satisfied. This seems to be motto of the organizer IJT, who put utmost importance on fulfilling exhibitors’ satisfaction. Here is what some of the exhibitors said:

“This was our 1st time to exhibit at IJT. We were very pleased that our products were well received. Especially, our loose diamond cut sapphires were very popular. We met more than 50 buyers from Japan, Italy, France, and Germany during IJT, and the total of order and sales amount exceeded $50,000. We are very thankful to the organizer whose level of service is unmatched by any other fair.” -SAPPHIRUS LANKA PVT LTD (Sri Lanka)

“We thank the sincere service by the IJT Show Management. Especially their pre-show promotion service and on-site support were really helpful. Thanks to that, we met major department stores and 20 important buyers in Japan. Also we found 2 potential distributors in Japan, and received 10 orders on-site as well as coverage by a major Japanese jewellery magazine.” -INDYGO (France)

“Overall, we were very satisfied with our result at IJT. Our diamonds were especially popular, and we met 34 very important buyers including some from outside Japan. Also, we were very happy that we found a distributor in Japan.” -VITHAL TRADING (India)

“We have no doubt that this year the Show Management focused a lot on the quality of the buyers. We met about 12 very high quality buyers including some from Korea, and had good business discussion. Also we found several candidates as our distributor in Japan. Overall, we are very satisfied with our result. -acredo (Germany)

“We enjoyed better sales than last year. This time, we met about 50 key buyers including some from China, Taiwan, and Korea. Especially, our diamond and gold products were popular. Our on-site sales totaled $80,000. Also we found 6 distributors in Japan. We were very satisfied with our result!” -APM (Monaco)

Star-studded Events

Every year IJT attracts enormous media attention nationwide, not only because it is an established trade event, but also for its glamourous events – IJT Reception Party and Japan Best Jewellery Wearer Awards Ceremony. This year was no exception. The IJT Reception Party drew 2,000 people, provided not only a place for meaningful exchanges between industry members, but also created a wow effect that instantly made it the talk-of- the-town. The Japan Best Jewellery Wearer Awards Ceremony, which has been held since the first IJT, presents award to the country’s most popular personalities of the year, for their glamourous jewellery fashion sense or shining character. This year, the awards were presented in nine categories, and the winners included famous footballer, Keisuke Honda, and Korea’s sensational top idol group, Girls’ Generation. The evening drew over 200 media members from TV channels, Radio stations, and fashion media, making news everywhere across the nation.

Preparations for Next IJT Underway

The next IJT will return from January 23rd to 26th, 2013. With the success that the fair achieved this year, it is no wonder that the industry is already looking forward to it with great anticipation. From the amount of rebooking and new application at this point, IJT is anticipated to be 25% bigger next year. Any party interested in IJT 2013 should contact its organizer, Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reed Exhibition Company, the world’s largest trade show organizer at:

Tel: +81-3-3349-8503 Fax: +81-3-3345-7929
E-mail: ijt-eng@reedexpo.co.jp URL: www.ijt.jp/en/