Show director Liz Hitchcock is giving the Americas’ premier jewelry event a subtle makeover
CIJ, for those who haven’t read the fine print, is the official publication of the Couture show, the annual gathering of jewelry’s crème de la crème at the Wynn in Las Vegas during market week. The six-day event, beginning this year on May 28, has reigned as the single best networking opportunity for the American high-end jewelry community since 1994, when the Couture Jewellery Collection & Conference, as it was then known, made its debut in California before moving to Arizona. The show’s relocation to Las Vegas in 2005 ushered in a period of change. This year, Group Show Director Liz Hitchcock, new to Nielsen, Couture’s parent company, promises another dynamic event, including a greater focus on international exhibitors, a new take on the show’s popular design competition and an expanded retailer program.
Liz Hitchcock
CIJ: Can you give us a little back story on Couture? Liz Hitchcock: It began as an event where North American retailers would meet and greet and network. As it grew with the popularity of U.S. designers, it became world-renowned. Because of the year’s turbulence, we’ve received a great deal of attention from the international community, which thinks that no other event around the world will have the same concentration of high-level designers.
CIJ: How will this year’s show be different from years past? LH: We’ve expanded our retailer program. It’s always been catered to the “Cornerstone Retailers,” the top 100 retailers who have been loyal to the event since its inception. This year, Couture has attracted so many more top retailers that we’ve introduced the VIP program, which is the next top 300 retailers.
CIJ: Why was it important to do that? LH: What’s most attractive about that next level of retailer is they’re actively seeking brands and designers and are more open in terms of their sourcing than perhaps the Cornerstone Retailers, who have long-term relationships with the major brands. So this is us making sure we recognize and host them in a certain way.
CIJ: How will the design awards be handled? LH: This will be the 14th year of the Couture Design Awards [popularly known as the Town & Country Awards]. We’re expanding the program, enhancing the format, including celebrities and planning a great evening of entertainment. We’re hoping to add a few more categories and sponsors. They’ll be bigger and better than ever.
CIJ: You’ve talked about bringing more international retailers to the show. How are you reaching out to them? LH: We have a lot of internal Nielsen resources that we’re tapping into. We’ve launched five international Web sites in the past seven months, all in the specific language of the markets they serve: Brazil, Latin America, China, Russia and India. We have the widest global reach of any other business-to-business company in the jewelry industry, bar none.
CIJ: Do you expect Couture to evolve into an international event that happens to be in America, or will the focus always be on its roots here? LH: The focus of the retailers will always be toward the Americas. But we’ve always enjoyed international attendance because Las Vegas is fun, the Wynn is a world-class venue and we promote worldwide. We’d like to continue to grow the international participation of fine jewelry and watches. If you’re the exclusive carrier of a designer known in luxury circles, that’s something that differentiates you and gives people a reason to buy from you. Our hope is to give our retailers a better opportunity to find those brands.
For more info, visit www.couture09.com.
