Watch & Jewellery Dubai 2006 closes on a glittering note

Millions of dirhams worth of sales were successfully transacted during the exhibition, resulting in substantial on-site business as well as potential yields in the coming months for participating companies.

"With both regional and international exhibitors reporting sizeable deals, we are pleased to say that once again the event has proved to be an effective platform in linking businesses for the trade globally and across the region. Dubai continues to attract quality trade visitors as they choose to expand their business base in the region through the emirate," said Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) Director General, Helal Saeed Al Marri.

WJD welcomed 14,192 attendees which marked a spectacular increase of 63% over last year, and played host to 383 companies from 24 participating countries. It showcased many of the world's most influential manufacturers and distributors of jewellery and precious timepieces including local elite brands such as Istana, Damas, Dhamani, Al Anwar, Salem Al Shueibi and Samra as well as international big names such as Rosy Blue, Europearls, Chantila, Aspeco and Eros & Forever jewels.

"We are very happy with the visitor and buyer turnout at WJD 2006. We have generated good sales and developed strong business leads. The Dubai Cut particularly has received overwhelming response from visitors and we are looking forward to offering again something unique for next year's edition of Watch & Jewellery Dubai. Dhamani believes that Dubai, and WJD in particular is one of the best platforms to launch our products as well as develop strategic business partnerships," said Manish Dhamani - Dhamani, Director - Retail.

"The show has certainly fulfilled our objective of creating brand awareness and we are very pleased with the quality and quantity of visitors," said Sanjay Dalmia, CEO, Rosy Blue.

Henry Dunay, owner and designer of Henry Dunay, who launched its collection in the Middle East, commented, "Watch & Jewellery Dubai is one of the most interesting shows I have done in a long time. Customers at the exhibition appreciated something different, and I was pleased with the response and level of business generated."

This year's edition of WJD also proved to be the most eventful, with the introduction of a number of trend-setting events including the first-ever Diamond Industry Roundtable. World diamond experts at the discussion held jointly with Diamond Trading Company (DTC) agreed that Dubai has long-term sustainable and competitive advantages that will allow it to become a centre for global diamond trade.

Other highlights included the 'Jewellery Gala Event of the Year' jointly presented by WJD and Rosy Blue which included the first ever Watch & Jewellery Industry Awards. Damas was the biggest winner of the evening collecting three awards for Best Retail Chain and Best UAE Designer and Dubai Gold Award. Other winners included Scintilla Monaco for Dubai Diamond Award, Brusidue for Best International Designer and Salem Al Shueibi for Best Marketing Campaign.

The breathtaking Catwalk of Jewels hosted by Damas was another glittering event that caught the imagination of visitors. The catwalk featured exciting collections of Al Manthourah, Legacy, Farasha and Romance on the runway for the first time. This was followed by the finale catwalk on the last day of the show, where the sparkling jewelled watch collection of Varotti and the stunning Damas bridal jewellery collection wowed crowds.

Affirming its position in the region, WJD was also used as the platform for many fascinating jewellery launches from key players including the Middle East launch of the Rosy Blue retail collection, the first showing of the Dubai Diamond Cut collection from Dhamani, a breath-taking new collection from Escada and the amazing Chocolate Pearls' launch by Euro Pearls. Other attractions at the event popular among visitors include the 30-carat $10 million diamond necklace from House of Baguettes.

"I have travelled all the way from my home country to see this exhibition. I have particular interest in seeing unique designs from Hong Kong and Spain and delighted to have been surprised by other countries which participated and surpassed my expectations. I am definitely looking forward to see how different next year's WJD could be," revealed Mohsen, a jewellery enthusiast from Iran.

Anita Khanchaldani from Dubai commented, "This was my first visit to WJD and I must say that I am impressed with variety of jewellery exhibited here. A jewellery purchase for me is a lifetime investment and exposure to this kind of event definitely helps me in my purchase decisions."

As the Middle East's trend-setting exhibition, WJD created upbeat interest from existing jewellers as well as new suppliers and is set to return to dazzle the region again from 12-15 December 2007.