EDITORIAL
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Lead, follow or … The moment I walked into the JAA Australian Jewellery Fair in Sydney last month, something hit me: there had been a changing of the guard. It was a strange feeling because it was the day before it opened, so it was still being set-up, but the feeling was strong. The new layout of the fair meant that there was a huge foyer area inside the hall so when visitors arrived they could see directly onto the floor. And what struck me was that many Australian suppliers had broken away from the pack. I couldn’t help thinking that it was like a 10,000-metre race at the Olympics. Everyone started at the same time, and all the participants ran together for quite a while but, as the race progressed, a pack drew ahead of the rest. The main group stayed together and, at times, one or two ran hard enough to catch the leaders, but they fell back again. Along the way, various runners then began to fall away from the main group essentially splitting the race into three types of participants; the leaders, the main group and the wannabes or weaklings. The perception was clear this year: there is now a vast difference between the leaders of the Australian jewellery industry and the rest. I have been attending the Australian fairs for some years now, and I have watched them grow. I have also had the privilege of attending most of the great international fairs – Basel, Vicenza, Hong Kong and Bangkok – and, understandably, when it comes the quality of the stand presentation, Australia always fell a little short. But this year that had changed. We have now seen the industry change from a manufacturing-based supply model to a marketing-model. It’s almost like all the old stalwarts of the industry had gone – those who had their history in manufacturing. They have been relegated to the back of the fair and replaced by the companies that excel in marketing – to both the retailer and the consumer. The former have become the weaklings of the 10,000-metre race, while the latter are in the lead pack. Interestingly, many of the exhibitors who said they did not have a good fair were, arguably, those that paid scant or no attention to the way visitors would perceive them. They relied solely on the quality of their product. One supplier told me he had a sensational fair last year but was disappointed this year. I looked around and the answer was obvious. The product was just as good as it always had been, their customer service was still excellent – it was the same company but the marketers with their superb stands had consumed him. He had fallen back into the main pack and was trying to compete with the leaders. There were many others like that, and if you attended the Sydney fair, you probably understand my analogy. (If you didn’t attend, you did yourself a disservice.) The fact that companies fall by the wayside is not such a bad thing – it happens in retail also. Without mentioning specific names, the leaders at the fair set their own pace and drove the herd, and that’s one of the reasons why this year’s fair looked world class. One leader tries to out run the other and the overall standard is improved. I used to be concerned when I would hear suppliers say they had a bad fair, but I am no longer worried. It can best be explained with another analogy – the Buffalo Theory. Yes, that’s another story entirely, but I do recommend you “google” it. Cheers to all those who had a great fair t
6 Jeweller / October 2008
EDITORIAL Editor Coleby Nicholson Assistant Editor Bianca Mangion Sub Editor Nick Lord advertising National Account Manager Gary Collins Sales Representative Leonie Osmond ADMINISTRATION Production Manager Maree Debrincat Graphic Design Maree Debrincat Accountant Paul Blewitt Photographer Charlie Suriano Subscriptions Manager Leonie Osmond Telephone 03 9696 7200 • Fax 03 9696 8313 Int+ 61 3 9696 7200 • Fax 61 3 9696 8313 Email ajed@gunnamattamedia.com.au
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