Dubai to host International Fashion Jewellery and Accessories Fair and International Watch & Clock Fair in March 2004

The first International Fashion Jewellery and Accessories (IFJA) Fair is to be held in Dubai from the 22nd to 24th March 2004. The fair will run simultaneously with the International Watch and Clock Fair (IWCF) at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. The fairs are organised by International Expositions, an international fairs and exhibitions company based in Dubai.

"Dubai has increasingly emerged as a growing market for the fashion  jewellery, accessories and the watches and clocks industries due to a population that is trendy and has the purchasing power to attract the most prestigious names in the industry. There is an ever growing demand for the best and the latest of products that the industry has to offer," said Emad Al  Hawai, Managing Director International Expositions. "The fairs have been conceptualised with the intent to meeting the increased demand in these areas."

Over 75% of the participating exhibitors are likely to be overseas manufacturers and exporters, including those from Hong Kong, India, China, France, Korea, Italy, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa and Germany. Both fairs also expect to host more than 4,000 professional visitors from around the world. The fairs will constitute an extensive forum for the international manufactures and exporters on the one hand, and the buyers and traders on the other. The participants and the visitors will have an opportunity to develop new business contacts and source new suppliers. They will also be able to view the latest fashion trends in the fields of jewellery, fashion accessories, watches and clocks.

The IFJA and the IWCF will have exhibits from top designers, international companies looking to launch new products or looking for MENA distribution channels, International export associations, international manufacturers, re-exporters, distributors and wholesalers, publishing houses and magazines and shop fitting and decorating companies.

Focusing on displaying trends in the fashion and costume jewellery sections of the jewellery market, the IFJA is likely to provide a more extensive display window for products like fashion jewellery from leading designers, fantasy  and costume jewellery, imitation pearls and corals and bead and shell jewellery for women. There will be a special section on men's jewellery, tie clips, smokers' kit and cigar and cigarette boxes. There will also be a display  of assorted fashion accessories items.

The IWCF will showcase the latest innovations and trends in the field of watches and clocks. The fair promises to highlight two important aspects of  the watch and clock industry. On the one hand, as an integral part of the daily  wardrobe, a wristwatch is a principal fashion accessory and a lot of thought is often given to choosing the right designs to go with designer wardrobes. On the other hand, due to high premium on time-management in today's societies, wristwatches and timepieces are also amongst the most extensively researched products. The fair will have exhibits highlighting the latest design trends for watches and clocks, as well as exhibits displaying the latest technological innovations in the industry.

"Capitalising on Dubai's prime location as a trading hub and the state-of the-art infrastructure available in the city, we intend to make the IFJA and IWCF  show cases of the latest trends in the fashion markets. Intensive research has gone into identifying the market trends in the demand for fashion jewellery, fashion accessories, watches and clocks. Our effort will be to gather together exhibitors to target every category of demand in the fashion market," said Al Hawai.

"To the wholesalers, re-exporters and retailers dealing in fashion products, Dubai gives access to a market of over one billion comprising the Middle East,  North and South Africa, the subcontinent and the CIS countries. We have put together an extensive strategy to ensure that the exhibitors benefit from maximum exposure of their products, including pre and post-fairs product  exposure, through our value added packages," he added.

The IFJA and the IWCF are endorsed by the Dubai Department of Tourism, Commerce and Marketing and the Department of Economic Development and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.