Post Show Report: Jewellery Arabia 2011 Shines On

Manama, Bahrain: Jewellery Arabia 2011, the 20th edition in the series of high profile exhibitions serving the Middle East’s jewellery and watch market, concluded on 26 November having reaffirmed its position as the definitive industry event of its kind in the region.

The highly successful 5 day exhibition, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, attracted a total of 42,500 jewellery trade buyers and private collectors.

Of the total number, 9,989 visitors (23 percent) were drawn from the region’s single largest jewellery market Saudi Arabia, with significant support also coming from Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman and other neighboring countries.

Jewellery Arabia 2011 spanned 16,500 square metres of space at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre and showcased 550 companies from 27 countries.

National pavilions from leading jewellery export countries included Brazil, Hong Kong, India and Malaysia. Jewellery Arabia 2011 also welcomed an official delegation of Bahrain exhibitors coordinated by Tamkeen.

The latest high quality jewellery collections and luxury watches from world famous jewellery houses including  Breguet, De Beers, Chanel, Chopard, Corum, Harry Winston, Hublot, Omega, Panerai, Patek Phillipe, Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels and Vacheron Constantin amongst numerous others also went on display – further consolidating Jewellery Arabia’s reputation as the Middle East’s most prestigious jewellery event.

A strong Lebanese and GCC contingent drawn from the region’s most exclusive jewellers complimented this line up. Amongst them were Bahrain’s leading jewellers – Bahrain Jewellery Centre, Asia Jewellers, Al Mahmood Pearls and Al Zain – who brought together stunning collections of international brands in boutique formats.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce and Chairman of Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority Dr. Hassan A. Fakhro praised the Jewellery Arabia series in a statement, “This exhibition has firmly established itself as the largest and most prestigious jewellery and watch event in the Middle East since its inception in 1992. This prime industry event has special significance to Bahrain. Known as the ‘Pearl of the Gulf’ due to its illustrious pearling history and strategic location, Bahrain has been a destination for traders and craftsmen from surrounding countries for more than 4,000 years. In these modern times the Jewellery Arabia series perpetuates this rich tradition of international trade and commerce by bringing together the finest jewellery houses and watch manufacturers from around the world”.

“We are delighted with the outcome of Jewellery Arabia 2011. The continuing importance of the Jewellery Arabia series to the watch and jewellery industry is evidenced by the event’s sheer size, extensive exhibitor participation and healthy visitor attendance despite ongoing challenges both internationally and locally. Feedback from exhibitors indicates that sales were brisk enough to either exceed or meet the majority of participants’ exhibition objectives,” said Arabian Exhibition Management’s director of sales and marketing Fawzi Al Shehabi.

The success of Jewellery Arabia 2011 is further reflected in the fact that 80 percent of available space at next year’s show, Jewellery Arabia 2012 which is set to take place from 27 November to 1 December 2012, was sold before the close of the exhibition.

The Jewellery Arabia series of exhibitions is organized by Bahrain's leading exhibition organizer – Arabian Exhibition Management WLL, and marketed worldwide by London based Overseas Exhibition Services Ltd and Singapore based International Expo Management Pte Ltd.

These companies are all members of Allworld Exhibitions, a global network of exhibition organizers with 35 offices worldwide, who currently organize over 150 trade exhibitions biennially.