While thousands in the jewelry and gem industry descended on Tucson last week, many designers, brands and retailers participated in the NY NOW show in New York City. The Premier team took advantage of the two collective gatherings of Premier X Designer exhibitors to organize casual “meet ups” in both New York City and Tucson. On Tuesday in New York, Sales and Designer Consultant for Premier, Liz Kantner, met up with several designers who were exhibiting at NY NOW at the festive cocktail lounge, The Polynesian, while on Wednesday, the rest of the Premier sales team got together with designers who were shopping for gemstones in Tucson for a cocktail event at the historic hot spot, Hotel Congress.
“We loved giving these designers the opportunity to re-establish old friendships or, in some cases, meet in person for the first time,” enthused Kantner, who has been instrumental in curating the Premier X Designer section of the show. “One of our main priorities within the Premier X Designer section is to foster a sense of community among the designers that will continue throughout their respective careers. Watching these talented designers sit down together to discuss jewelry, design, art and anything else that makes them tick was incredible to witness."
That same focus on shared experiences was evident at Hotel Congress in Tucson the following evening, “It was a great experience for us to connect with our new community of exhibitors in advance of the show launch and to watch how these designers interacted with one another,” noted Drew Lawsky, Show Director for Premier. “They were trading stories of stone shopping in Tucson, sharing design ideas, and just in general, getting to know one another. It was great to establish a foundation of friendship that will extend to Las Vegas and beyond.”
"I am so excited to be a part of Premier,” said Leslie McElroy of Leslie Page Jewelry, who is exhibiting at Premier X Designer. “At the Tucson Gem shows, I had the chance to meet some of the Premier team, as well as some of the other participating designers, and it was a blast! It’s wonderful how Premier is working to foster a community for us designers, not only with their support in preparation for the show, but in encouraging us to support and get to know one another. Having these connections humanizes the experience and makes me really look forward to exhibiting at the show and reconnecting with my people.”
Premier continues to gain momentum among designers and brands, and the buzz for the show is also shared among retailers. "Though Mora offers a wide range of jewelry, we only represent a small selection of artists using precious materials, so my trips to the Vegas market tend to be every other year," explains Marthe LeVan, owner of Mora Designs in Asheville, NC. "Seeing the incredible collection of designers exhibiting at Premier X Designer absolutely convinced me that I could not skip this year! I will definitely be making the trip and am so excited to explore the show!"
Premier is taking place alongside AGTA GemFair™ Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show, May 30th to June 3rd, 2019. The three events comprise The Collective, a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate experience for both attendees and exhibitors.
For more information about exhibiting at Premier, contact Drew Lawsky at [email protected].
About PREMIER
PREMIER is a soon-to-be-launched, business-to-business fine jewelry trade event to take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center beginning in 2019. Catering to both established manufactures and brands, timepieces and emerging designer talent, PREMIER will be co-located with The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show and the AGTA GemFairTM Las Vegas. PREMIER is owned by Emerald Expositions, a leading operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States. The company currently operates more than 55 trade shows, as well as numerous other face-to-face events. In 2017, Emerald’s events connected over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupied more than 6.9 million NSF of exhibition space. For more information, please visit www.premiershow.com.
