MJSA Press Room

Exhibitors in the MJSA Manufacturing Pavilion at AGTA GemFair found a marked increase in traffic this year, as nearly 10,000 buyers flooded the GemFair aisles at the Tucson Convention Center. The Pavilion, which ran Feb. 5-9 (one day shorter than GemFair itself) in the center’s arena, proved a prime destination for those buyers seeking the best in manufacturing services, equipment, and supplies, as well as finished product.

“ This has been as good as any pavilion in the past seven years,” said Daniel Ballard of Los Angeles-based Precious Metals West/Fine Gold, a refiner and metal supplier. Other exhibitors echoed his comments, many of whom viewed the Pavilion’s success as a positive economic indicator.

“ The level of traffic is much higher this year; I’d say there are 25 percent to 30 percent more people.” said Roy Gessman of Crafford—LaserStar Technologies in Riverside, Rhode Island, which specializes in laser welding and marking systems. “It’s a sign that the markets are robust.”

“ It’s been a great show—we’ve gotten great feedback, and the customers have been very interested in our products. It’s a sign that people are ready to get back to work,” said Ruth Fell Failer of David H. Fell & Co., a Los Angeles-based refiner and metal supplier.

“ The people who came have been serious and ready to buy,” said Greg Adwar of Adwar Casting Co. in Rockville Center, New York, which specializes in contract casting. “We’ve had a good number of new leads.”

For many companies, the MJSA Manufacturing Pavilion has become a standard part of their trade show schedule—as Steve Frei of Oakland-based equipment supplier Frei & Borel noted, “This is our favorite trade show of the year…We always have a wonderful show.” For some companies, part of the reason for exhibiting in the Pavilion is the excellent exposure it gives them to the Western marketplace.

Solidscape, a New Hampshire-based manufacturer of rapid prototyping systems, is one such company. “Most venues Solidscape has done have been on the East Coast,” said marketing manager Bruce Lustig. “There are a lot of people who have heard about us but haven’t seen us.” The Pavilion allowed them to interact directly with potential customers, resulting in a number of good leads, particularly in the West. The results were so impressive, Lustig says, that after only the first day the president of Solidscape instructed him to sign up for the 2004 pavilion.

This year also saw the second series of At the Bench Live seminars at GemFair. Held in the area near the Pavilion and sponsored by Frei and Borel, this year’s seminars featured demonstrations by noted jewelers Blaine Lewis, Kate Wolf, and Arthur Skuratowicz. Before crowds that often were standing-room-only, the three demonstrated a variety of stone-setting techniques—including those for pave, bead, princess-cut, prong, and channel settings—as well as how to carve custom settings in wax. At the Bench Live is based on the AJM column of the same name, which gives illustrated, step-by-step guides to common (and not-so-common) bench projects.

The 2004 dates of MJSA Manufacturing Pavilion are Feb. 4-8 (again one day shorter than GemFair). For more information about the Pavilion, including how to exhibit, contact trade show sales manager Tina Gosselin at 1-800-444-6572, ext. 3023, or e-mail tina@mjsainc.com.

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MJSA is a national jewelry trade association representing 1,500 members. MJSA’s mission is to unite and empower our members to advance the jewelry manufacturing industry. To learn more about MJSA and its trade publication, AJM Magazine, visit www.mjsainc.com and www.ajm-magazine.com.