IWJG November 2011 Dallas Show Report

After an International Watch and Jewelry Guild Show, late night flights can be a little rough on us. Trust us, we are not complaining because we know what some of your travel schedules look like. Dallas is just winding up; the equipment is headed home and before we get to the next IWJG Show in Houston, let’s look back on Dallas. The Regency Hyatt was a great hotel. This is a great location offering so much to do in downtown Dallas. The Kennedy Assassination Museum, the Grassy Knoll and Dealy Plaza were right down the street for those interested in a historical perspective on that terrible time in our country’s history. Robert J. Groden, author of "High Treason, the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" was at the Museum and came over to the show on Monday and shared his insights on the events of 11/22/1963 with our members. There was a lot going on right around the hotel. The DART System (rapid transit) station was actually in the hotel so members could get anywhere in the Dallas area quickly. Now for the show report!!

Joe Nelson, Executive Director of The IWJG reports that the Dallas show was over 20% larger than last year, so it looked good in the new room. Action started off a little slow on Monday morning (as usual) and then found a relaxed groove and stayed that way for both days. There was a lot of merchandise on the floor. Inventories are fairly high for most members so unless you have a great item at a great price there is not a lot of pressure on the buy side. There was no way to have this show further out than three weeks after our huge NYC Show without moving it into the Thanksgiving Week. New York and Dallas were a little close together (We prefer 4 weeks minimum). Cell phones and internet were almost impossible on the show floor, especially for Verizon customers (we are working on connectivity solutions for next year), and you all know the economies of the entire world are a little timid right now, BUT having said all that, Dallas overall, was a Good Show! Here are some early reports;

Gabe Arick and Keith LeCleric said Dallas was good for them. Bob Wingate and Doug Gruenberg also report in with good results. Jeff Cohen, Roman Shalomov, Paul Duggan, Farzad Sharim and Kamil Hakimian all called in a good Dallas show. Temuri Nanikashvili had a GREAT outing in Dallas with Bobby Arenas and Joe Akar reporting good Dallas results. David Van Gelder said "I was just playing around in Dallas, but I had a great time."

Speaking of Great Times, Monday night, The International Watch and Jewelry Guild hosted its annual Holiday Reception at the Hyatt. Food and adult beverages were not in short supply, nor was entertainment. IWJG member Bob Wingate and his band the TU-TONES provided great music for the event and member Steve Fishman filled in with some fine guitar work. We want to thank everyone who attended and hope all of you enjoyed the evening as much as we did. Special note to Bob and Steve, thank you for everything. Greg Esses, come on down!

If you would like to share your show report with our membership, submit it as soon after the show as possible to Info@iwjg.com, attention Joe Nelson and we will do our best to include all comments.

For updates, check your e-mails, visit the IWJG website at www.IWJG.com or join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theiwjg or Twitter at www.twitter.com/iwjg.

Serving the Best Membership in the World!!!
Olga Cortez Bullock, Joe Nelson and the IWJG Staff

About the International Watch and Jewelry Guild (IWJG)
Since 1985, the IWJG has been conducting 12 to 14 annual cash and carry trade show events throughout the US. The members only shows are supported by over 8,200 of the world's foremost professional watch and jewelry dealers from 75 countries. The IWJG members and shows stake claim to hundreds of millions of dollars in watch and jewelry inventory. For general questions or information on becoming a member visit our website at www.iwjg.com or call us toll free at 800-554-4992. You can also visit us on Facebook at http://www.iwjg.net/facebook for more information or Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/iwjg.