JCK Las Vegas: Mixed Opinions on Opening Day
June 03, 07Opinions were mixed on the opening day of JCK Las Vegas. Some thought that traffic was up, others lamented that it was down. Although the halls and corridors of the Sands Expo and Venetian Hotel were definitely buzzing, one industry insider commented that, unlike last year, there was a marked absence of retailers queuing to gain entry to the show before the doors opened.
The first day of any show is always a good chance to look around, to see who is here, and who has decided not to make the journey. It is also a chance for buyers to window shop. Although exhibitors welcomed the chance to talk to potential clients, they were also hopeful that browsers would become buyers.
Towards the end of the day, Carmel Lustig of Lustig Brothers Ltd., said that his booth had seen some business but it had generally been slow. “Most people are just looking. They are all trying to see if they can get a better price elsewhere. Everyone is looking for bigger stones at cheaper prices and they are running everywhere to find the best price. They are looking for a price that doesn’t exist,” he said.
“There’s a lot of movement, but people just don’t have the power to buy. They promise that they will come back tomorrow or the day after. Let’s see if their promises materialize.”
A J Adelson of Yerushalmi Bros. was philosophical about the events of the first day. “It’s been okay,” he said. “Hopefully it will get better. The first day of any show is always slow.” Like many exhibitors, Adelson said that Yerushalmi’s presence at the show is less about selling diamonds than about PR. “We’re here to make connections,” he said. “I’m pretty sure that I sell more at the office than I do at these shows.”
Although Adelson estimated that the opening day’s traffic was a little busier than last year, he bemoaned the general state of the market saying that he had not seen a good show for the last three or four years.
Nilesh Seth of Nice Diamonds, on the other hand, was hard pushed to even find time to talk about the day’s events. “I only have half a moment to talk,” he said as he desperately tried to grab a bit to eat, “It’s been busy.”
Like most of the other exhibitors, Seth had seen the most interest in larger stones, as well as natural and treated fancy colors.