With its multi-year venue, the Ritz Carlton South Beach shut down last year due to Hurricane Irma, CENTURION SOUTH BEACH joined forces for a co-location with the JIS Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center for its 2018 event. Many retailers and exhibitors applauded the move ahead of and following the show for its logic: making it easy for retailers and exhibitors to see one another at both shows.
The “One Badge, Two Shows” slogan was widely promoted by JIS and CENTURION SOUTH BEACH as a key benefit. At press time, with not all registration numbers in, CENTURION SOUTH BEACH attracted some 100 hosted “full pass” retailers to the show, along with more than 250 Day Pass non-hosted stores. The show began on Thursday, October 18 (one day before JIS) and drew about 90 stores that day.
Attendance built gradually through the show’s final day, Sunday, October 21, when a busy show floor ensued and was a pleasant surprise for most participants. On Friday evening, October 19 immediately following show hours, CENTURION SOUTH BEACH and JIS Show management agreed to open the airwall between the two shows to allow a flow of attendees back and forth and this move was largely credited with the strong day on Sunday.
Here’s what Participants had to say:
RETAILERS
“Great show to fill in before Christmas.”-- Lucien Lee, Hales Jewelers, Greenville, SC
“It was a good quick show for us and allowed my staff and me to really fill in on some items before the holiday madness. Perfect timing for our inventory and great assortment of designers. Will be back!”--Justin Klomp, Trice Jewelers, Centennial, CO
“Centurion South Beach was a fabulous show. So many JIS vendors asked me “’How is it?’ You know it’s good when everyone is talking about it. The right size, easy to work and the perfect location!! Thanks to the Centurion team.”--Larry Thakurani, House Of Diamonds, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
“Centurion South Beach great show. Easy to work the last-minute inventory holes.”-- Brent Meade, Gruno’s, Rockford, IL
“Centurion South Beach was a great show! I was able to sit with my vendors in a calm environment to discuss business opportunities. I always find it difficult to do business in a hectic crowded space so I was very pleased with the atmosphere of the event. I look forward to many more Centurion shows!”--Tatiana Conte, Almod Diamonds Ltd., New York, NY
“Once again my time at Centurion South Beach was a great learning experience. Having quality time with vendors to talk over new opportunities at the show is always great.”-- Ronda Daily, Bremer Jewelry, Peoria, IL
“Having the Forevermark sight holders and manufacturers at the Centurion show made the show even better for an early Christmas season preparation.”--Gal Hayat, INTERNATIONAL DIAMOND CENTER, Clearwater, FL
EXHIBITOR COMMENTS
“A great show right at the start of the season! A well-organized and planned show provided a great platform for us to see our existing customers and meet some new ones!”--Mahiar Borhanjoo, Venus Jewel International, Mumbai, India
“It was a great show; the traffic was much higher than previous shows because of the additional JIS customers. In the past, many of them said they will stop by but as they get busy at JIS and having to commute to a different location just becomes a hassle, so they didn’t all make to Centurion. Having both shows combined was a definite plus.”--Ben Asher, Asher Jewelry, New York, NY
“Centurion South Beach proved to be a constructive and effective trade show experience. We were able to meet with active retail partners not yet seen at other trade events this year. The event was a convenient, comfortable environment alongside JIS that upheld the dignified Centurion atmosphere.”--Brent Adleman, BELLARRI, Scottsdale, AZ
“Howard and the Centurion team did a great job bringing a great selection of vendors and buyers to make this show a strong show.”--Danny Dilman, Paragon Pearls, New York, NY
“The Centurion South Beach Show at the new venue with the JIS Show had a renewed energy and we were able to meet new customers besides our regular clients which was fantastic. Some of our customers mentioned to us that the show being together with the JIS was definitely more convenient for them as everything was under one roof. Overall the show had a very positive energy and we were quite busy even on the last day of the show.”--Anil Maloo, Baggins, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
“Access to amazing prequalified Centurion-level retailers while adjacent to the Mecca for Caribbean and South American accounts. It gave us access to the best of JIS and the high-end retailers Howard is famous for pulling to his shows. It’s simply a win-win for everyone and the sales proved to be for us as we had an outstanding show.”--Doron Paloma, Dove’s by Doron Paloma, Great Neck, NY
“The Centurion South Beach Show was a great opportunity for us to meet with many new and existing retail partners. We enjoyed the experience and look forward to the next show in South Beach!”--Susan Klemt Williams, Artistry Ltd. / Graymoor Lane Designs, Skokie, IL
