IWJG January 2013 Las Vegas Show Report

The first day of any Las Vegas Show drives us crazy. The members are slow coming in (No one is banging on the door to get in earlier than 7:30). The buzz doesn't start until around 10:00 AM, then it builds throughout the day. That was just the way it went in Las Vegas this time. The action might start a little slow but when it gets started it really gets started.

It seems like there are no real surprises in what is selling... Vintage is getting stronger (older Day/Dates are hot for men and women), all moderns are in demand. Some PP's are so hot you can't get them while others are a little soft. In the jewelry department, signed pieces are very good and any decent diamond will move in a heartbeat (see Fred Hakimian's comment below). Tired merchandise is another story entirely (stretched bands, worn cases etc). The gist of it seems to be, if it's not moving and it's common, move it at some price and restock with what is selling. This is not our observation but what we are hearing from the floor and in the reports that come in after each event.

We continue to hear from several of our members that they really make their show after 3:00 on Tuesday when some of the membership is in a hurry to get to the airport (think about that one). All we know is this... our members know this business better than any group in the world and if you did not have a good show, check in on what the members that report good results are doing. Several dealers did not bring a lot of merchandise to this show... We're not sure why, but they said they did about what they expected and they were getting ready for Miami... What were some of the reports from Las Vegas?

Joe Demesy had a good show, so did Bob Wingate. Michael Maron gave a good report for Vegas. Alan Larabure and Leo Brafman reported good shows. Mark Nance, Yona Sepiashvil and David Breacher gave good reports. Rick Crumly and Beth Nixon said they had a good show. Temuri Nanikshvili, Ronnie Bullock and Joe Kashani signaled a good show. Drew Knoll, Chuck Kaderabek and Hormos Ighbal had good shows along with Gabe Arik and Ariel Shimunov. David Gidanian and Joe Akar turned in a thumbs up, while Doug and Donald Gruenberg brought in good show reports. True, we had some members that found their show results a little soft like Ira Mish, Roman Shalomov and four or five others that reported in, but on the other hand we heard this from others... Marco Damm had a very good show... Newton Ng said his show was very, very good. Michele Motale, Jessica Schneider and several others that asked not to be named in the report had very good shows. Then we had Bob Maron reporting his best show EVER and Fred Hakimian said his show was great "like an Indiana Jones ride," the pressure kept you in your seat and you were selling all day long. There was a lot of business being done on the floor.

Remember, our attendees are not just kicking tires. They have paid to come in and buy merchandise. If you have the right merchandise at the right price, someone is going home with your goods and leaving you their money... It's a good thing.

About the International Watch and Jewelry Guild (IWJG)
Since 1985, the IWJG has been conducting 12 to 14 annual cash and carry trade show events throughout the US. The members only shows are supported by over 8,200 of the world's foremost professional watch and jewelry dealers from 75 countries. The IWJG members and shows stake claim to hundreds of millions of dollars in watch and jewelry inventory. For general questions or information on becoming a member visit our website at www.iwjg.com or call us toll free at 800-554-4992. You can also visit us on Facebook at http://www.iwjg.net/facebook for more information or Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/iwjg.