UK jewellery trade shows: preparing, working and following up
Jewellery trade shows are where many retailers see a season’s collections and place their orders, and where press and new stockists find brands they did not know. Gemlea Commercial Studio works the trade calendar on behalf of jewellery designers and brands. This guide covers what a UK fair is for, what has to be ready, how a show is worked, and what happens after it.
What jewellery trade shows are for
A trade show compresses a season of appointments into a few days. Buyers from independent jewellers, galleries, department stores and online shops walk the aisles to see what is new, to reorder from brands they already stock, and to find the one or two they do not. Press, agents and buyers from abroad come for the same reason. Most jewellery fairs are open to the trade only, and visitors register with proof that they buy for a business.
Fairs differ in what they gather. Some cover the whole trade, from fine jewellery to fashion pieces and the suppliers behind them; some are curated shows of designer-makers; some are gift and lifestyle fairs with a jewellery section; and gem and mineral fairs are where stones, rather than finished pieces, change hands.
Choosing which jewellery fair to take
The right fair is the one the right buyers attend. Organisers can say what kinds of retailer come and from where, and a brand can see for itself by walking a show as a visitor a season before exhibiting: who is on the stands nearby, how busy the aisles are, and whether the buyers look like the shops the collection belongs in.
The cost of a show is more than the stand. Most organisers charge by the square metre, and on top come the stand build and lighting, display furniture, travel and accommodation, insurance for stock at the fair and in transit, and the days the people behind the table are away from everything else. A fair is worth taking when the orders and accounts it is likely to bring cover all of it, over more than one season.
Preparing a jewellery brand for a trade show
A buyer at a fair decides in minutes, so everything that decision needs has to be on the stand:
- A complete set of samples of every piece offered, with spares of the pieces most likely to be tried on.
- A line sheet with wholesale and suggested retail prices, printed and ready to send.
- Order forms and written terms: minimum order, payment terms, delivery window and reorders.
- Prices settled before the show, so no buyer is quoted two figures for one piece.
- A stand lit for jewellery, with pieces at a height that can be seen and handled, and lockable cases.
- Appointments booked beforehand with the buyers you most want to see, and a press kit for the show’s press office.
Working the show
The stand is staffed by people who can answer for the collection: what each piece is made of, how it is made, what a first order would commit a buyer to, and when it would arrive. Every conversation is written down before the next begins: who the buyer was, which shop, which pieces they handled, and what they said about the prices. By the last day those notes are worth more than the memory of a busy stand.
Some orders are written at the stand; many follow afterwards, once the buyer has seen the rest of the show. The pieces themselves are counted out each morning and back each evening, and never left on an unattended stand.
After a jewellery trade show
The follow-up is where a fair pays for itself. Within days, while the stand is still remembered, each buyer is sent what they asked for: the line sheet, pictures of the pieces they liked, terms, a sample. Orders written at the show are confirmed in writing, with the delivery date that was promised.
Then the show is read back: which pieces drew the most hands, which prices were questioned, which buyers asked for a visit, and whether the fair brought the right shops. That decides the next season, both what the collection needs and whether to stand at the same fair again.
How it works
- 01
Which fairs
The fairs a collection belongs at, chosen by the buyers who attend them, and the cost of each set against what it can bring.
- 02
Ready by the date
Samples, line sheet, prices, terms, stand and appointments, each with a date by which it has to be done.
- 03
At the show
Someone who can answer for the collection behind the table, every conversation noted, the pieces packed, presented and accounted for.
- 04
The follow-up
Buyers answered, orders confirmed, and what the show said about the collection reported back to you.
Questions
What are jewellery trade shows for?
Jewellery trade shows let retailers see many collections in a few days and place seasonal orders and reorders. For a brand they are a chance to meet buyers from independent jewellers, galleries, department stores and online shops, to be seen by the press, and to hear what buyers think of the pieces and the prices.
How do I find the dates of UK jewellery trade shows?
Each organiser sets its own dates, and they change from year to year, so check the organiser’s own website before planning around one. Many fairs fall ahead of the main buying seasons. Gemlea Commercial Studio works the trade calendar on a brand’s behalf, including which fairs to take and what has to be ready by when.
Can the public visit jewellery trade shows?
Most jewellery trade shows are for the trade only, and visitors register with evidence that they buy or work for a business. Direct-to-consumer events and exhibitions are different: they put the pieces in a room with the people who wear them, and Gemlea Commercial Studio runs those as well.
How much does it cost to exhibit at a jewellery trade show?
It depends on the fair. Most organisers charge for the stand by the square metre, and the stand build, lighting, display, travel, accommodation and insurance come on top. A brand should weigh the full cost against the orders and accounts the fair is likely to bring over more than one season.
Should a jewellery brand take orders at a trade show?
Yes, where a buyer is ready, on a written order form with the terms on it. Many buyers prefer to order after the show, once they have seen everything, so the follow-up in the days afterwards matters as much as the stand: line sheets, pictures, terms and samples sent while the conversation is fresh.
Can Gemlea run a trade show for our jewellery brand?
Yes. Trade shows are part of Gemlea Commercial Studio’s representation: which fairs a collection belongs at, what has to be ready and by when, and who stands behind the table. Fees, minimums, lead times and NDAs are agreed in the brief, project by project.