Connect with us

Columns

Jewelry Shows Missing the Boat When it Comes to Education, Says Marketing Coach Jim Ackerman

mm

Published

on

Jewelry shows are no longer an indispensable way to purchase merchandise, even though one can make the case they still provide the best hands-on and comparative way to check out products. But where else can you go for the kind of education that jewelers need in today’s marketplace?

In this area, both jewelers and show organizers are missing the boat.

Jewelers are missing the boat because they do not make education the primary reason for their attendance.

Show organizers are missing the boat because they see education as a necessary annoyance. I get it. Education isn’t a profit center for them; it’s an expense. And consequently, show organizers give education as little time, effort and budget as they can get by with. As a result, speakers are often inexperienced and dull. They often simply pitch products and services, rather than providing meaningful, practical content.

Sessions are too short. How much useful information can be presented in 40 minutes or an hour? Attendees walk away thinking, “Sounds like a good idea, but I have no idea how to implement it.” Then they go home and do nothing.

Some shows are now charging amateurs instead of paying professionals to speak, so companies “buy up” education slots and turn them into commercials. And again, the presenters are often, well, boring, because they’re not speakers, they’re salespeople. 

Advertisement

Presenters often are prohibited from selling anything from the platform. This may seem like a contradiction to what I just said, but it’s not. If the session is only an overview, and the audience can’t learn how the presenter can help with implementation, the jeweler and the presenter both leave frustrated.

I suggest the following: Jewelers should insist on better programs and should make education their prime reason for attendance. Show organizers should consider fewer yet longer sessions, and should use professional presenters exclusively.

Show organizers can and should seek appropriate sponsors for speakers and topics. This will enable them to pay for those speakers and increase the speaking budget. Attendees will get more compelling, useful sessions, and therefore will be more inclined to return.

Show organizers can help education sponsors sell their products by providing time within each session for a brief and fair “pitch” by the sponsor. This can include a special show offer.

Show organizers are likely to balk at these suggestions, as will the vendors who pay for trade-show floor space and want attendees on the floor buying their stuff. But they’re not getting people on the floor anyway. The glut of shows and the declining attendance across the board prove that. 

It’s time for the industry to think outside of the box, shake up the shows and do it differently.

Advertisement

Jim Ackerman, “Marketing Coach to the Jewelry Industry,” is president of Ascend Marketing. Reach him at jimack@ascendmarketing.com.

Advertisement

SPONSORED VIDEO

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”

Promoted Headlines

Most Popular