The MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show received tremendous response since its first show in 1993 and witnessed around 900 per cent growth in the 40th edition compared to the first show, its organiser told Khaleej Times.
The show has grown from strength to strength. It was a yearly event until October 2000; the organiser transformed the show into a bi-annual event from its millennium edition in April 2000. Since then the show is happening every six months - one in spring around March or April and another in autumn either in September or October.
"There were around 50 exhibitors for the first show. Given that it was one of the first in the region, there was tremendous interest in the show from the UAE as well as global participants and visitors," Expo Centre Sharjah chief executive officer Saif Al Midfa said in an interview.
The 20th edition of the show featured 300 exhibitors and attracted nearly 35,000 visitors, while the 30th edition hosted 450 exhibitors and recorded a visitor turnout of 53,340.
"The show attracted 58,180 visitors in its past edition. We have been witnessing double-digit growth in visitor footfall regularly, and are confident the figure will cross 60,000 this time especially due the buzz surrounding the 40th edition," Al Midfa said. He termed the 40th edition a milestone and said this is going to be the best-ever edition of the show.
In terms of the nationalities of the visitors of the show, it is mixed but the majority of people come from all the emirates of the UAE, followed by Gulf countries. It's 80 per cent from the UAE and 20 per cent from the GCC as well as rest of the world, Al Midfa said, adding that the show is equally popular among UAE locals and expatriates.
The autumn edition has traditionally been the more popular one, with both exhibitors and visitors, considering the festival season and year-end buying pattern from traders, he explained. The show promises to liven up the bulk-buying and gift-giving season of Eid Al Adha, the Indian festival of Diwali, UAE National Day, Christmas and New Year. Responding a question if this show is different than other shows in terms of organising the event, Al Midfa replied: "We put in our best efforts to organise, promote and make every show a success at Expo Centre Sharjah. The MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show is no different though it is one of our flagship shows. But we need to keep in mind the large number of exhibitors and visitors, and the high value of display items at the show. The recent expansion of Expo Centre has helped us in allotting more space for the show."
The event showcases millions of dollars jewellery but sales figures are not available but high retention figures show exhibitors are happy with their sales.
"It is difficult to arrive upon a figure because all exhibitors may not share their sales figures with us for various reasons. However, a key aspect that could help us measure the satisfaction of exhibitors is the exhibitor retention rate - the show has a high exhibitor retention rate of nearly 90 per cent. It shows they do good business at our shows," Al Midfa explained.
Since it's mainly a jewllery show and women love jewllery that's the reason a majority of visitors are females. The organiser has arranged a special counter for ladies' registration and there are also exclusive timings for ladies to shop.
At the 40th edition, some of the key attractions include the mational pavilions featuring India, Hong Kong, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand and China, apart from sure-shot head-turners like the world's largest gold ring (Star of Taiba) and gold dress (Princess of Taiba).
Besides, on every purchase of Dh500, visitors have the chance to qualify for raffle draw. The Hong Kong and Thai pavilions are also giving away prizes to visitors. Visitors can also get jewellery customised to suit their style and taste, and take home a piece of history commemorating the 40th edition.
