Norwalk, CT – Reed Exhibitions has expanded its portfolio of jewelry shows by acquiring Jewelers International Showcase (JIS), which organizes a trio of events in Miami Beach catering to the Caribbean and Latin America markets.
The JIS Events portfolio will become part of Reed’s JCK Events division with Jordan Tuchband, vice president of sales & operations at JIS, joining Reed with the title of industry vice president for JIS Events. Show Producer Michael Breslow, who founded JIS, will act as a consultant to the new owners.
“This is an exciting opportunity to expand our jewelry portfolio and offer our customers a broader reach to retailers in the Caribbean and Latin American markets,” said Yancy Weinrich, senior vice president, JCK.
The three JIS shows take place annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The most recent show in January featured 850 booths and offered cash-and-carry wares in the mid-to-high-end price range. The April and October events are timed to accommodate the long-term and last-minute holiday inventory needs of retailers in the Americas.
“The joining of the No.1 and No. 2 jewelry trade shows in the USA and I believe in the Western Hemisphere, was a very natural strategic evolution that has been in the making for a very long time,” Breslow told Trade Show Executive. “JIS has had excellent relations with JCK from the very first year of the JCK show in Las Vegas and there has always been mutual respect between both organizations.” Breslow said it took many years for both organizations to mutually reach a common ground that both sides could accept. “Since I started JIS in 1979, you have to consider that two-thirds of my adult life was spent building JIS into what it has become — and it is still in my blood.” Breslow noted, “Everyone walked away in this buy/sell transaction as a winner and we wish JCK and Reed only the best with our 36-year-old baby. I will still be around the JIS office as a consultant for awhile to assist JCK/Reed in any way I can in the transition.”
The addition of JIS increases Reed’s JCK portfolio to eight shows led by JCK Las Vegas, which was ranked 30th on the most-recent Trade Show Executive Gold 100 with 501,415 net square feet in 2013. The roster also includes JCK Tucson, Swiss Watch Las Vegas and LUXURY events in Las Vegas and New York.
Reed established its presence in Miami Beach this year with the launch of a U.S. edition of the Paris upscale design show, Maison & Objet.
Reach Yancy Weinrich at (203) 840-5481 or yweinrich@reedexpo.com; Jordan Tuchband at (561) 998-0205, x2, or jordantuchband@jisshow.com; Michael Breslow at (561) 998-0205, x9, or michaelbreslow@jisshow.com
