47th Bangkok International Gems & Jewelry Fair, Feb 25 to Mar 1, 2011, at Impact

The Bangkok International Gems & Jewelry Fair was held at Impact Exhibition & Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani. On February 25-28, the show times were 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on the final day, March 1, the show times were 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Before writing about the fair, I want to offer some advice that may be helpful:

Every Thai visitor must present his/her National Identity Card in order to enter the exhibition hall. A foreign visitor must present his/her passport in order to gain entrance. The organizers are strict on this point, and I saw a group of Japanese women (residents of Bangkok) turned away for lack of passport.

Prior to entering, each visitor must fill out a registration form requesting basic information, such as company name and contact details. However, if you have a business card, it will simply be stapled to the form, avoiding the filling-out procedure.

Okay, now for the show. It was well-organized, as usual, and featured 52 aisles of exhibitor booths. I would estimate there were a minimum of 1,000 exhibiting companies. I counted 13 full aisles dedicated to silver jewelry, 15 aisles of gold jewelry, 10 aisles of gem stones, 11 aisles of gem stones / jewelry tools & equipment, and 9 aisles of costume jewelry / synthetic jewelry / jewelry boxes.

Thailand exhibitors were the most numerous by far. Additionally, there were companies from many other countries: India (mainly gem stones), Japan (pearls), South Korea (piercing jewelry specialists), China (jade), Hong Kong (watches), Poland (amber), Lithuania (amber), Singapore, Malta, Cambodia, Laos, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Canada, USA, and others.

Each visitor received a nicely made bag with strap. Inside the bag was some very useful promotional literature: a heavy and comprehensive catalog listing all the exhibiting companies, divided by product, which included complete contact information for these enterprises.

Another book showed photographs of winning and honorable mention designs in each product category.

A booklet gave details of some special promotional offers related to the fair. These included business matching services, Zero VAT Pavilion, SME branding, and buyer promotions, such as hotel discounts. It also listed interesting activities, such as seminars led by jewelry experts, plus various exhibits.

Additionally, the package contained a CD which included all the exhibitor contact information in that first catalog that I mentioned.

I advise you to pick up your bag and literature after touring the fair, as those books are quite heavy.

A free shuttle bus service took visitors back to the main hotels and tourists areas of Bangkok. I found this service to be efficient.

Here's a reminder: The Bangkok International Gems & Jewelry Fair is held twice a year, usually in February and September. The next show will be from September 14-18, 2011.

Bob