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Showing posts from March, 2012

Hong Kong Show - mega-business or mega-bust?

The Hong Kong Show had more energy than any show we visited this year.  The crowds were big, though mostly Asian.  The show is bigger than ever, now probably the biggest in the world, and it has expanded to occupy odd spaces and ballrooms.  The early impression was that the show was a hit. A dramatic building, in a beautiful waterfront setting Then again, maybe it wasn't for many vendors. Traffic in many aisles was heavy, but many vendors were not happy - "lookers, not buyers."  I had no problem stopping almost anywhere for a chat or to work, with few other buyers coming in to the booths.  Among the hundreds of loose diamond vendors and stone dealers, for example, the business seemed more about selling each other than to retailers or manufacturers. Yes, there were some good stories.  One Hong Kong jewelry manufacturer related that business in the very high end was reasonable, but business in middle-priced 18 karat and diamond jewelry was "totally dead.&quo