The jewellery industry in Hong Kong rolled out the red carpet for Sharjah on November 29.

Breaking from the past, Expo Centre Sharjah CEO H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa was especially invited to cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the 26th Hong Kong International Jewelry Manufacturers’ Show at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre on Thursday (Nov 29).

In the three decade-long history of the Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers’ Association (HKJMA), it was the first time they chose to invite someone from outside the country to inaugurate its jewellery show. And the honour fell on H.E. Al Midfa and Mr P Ravi, Director-Sales, Expo Centre Sharjah.

The senior executives of Expo Centre were invited as guests of honour at the opening ceremony that was attended by the entire panel of chairpersons of the association, along with Mr Benny Do, Chairman, Mr William Li, Associate Chairman – Exhibition, and Mr Wings Cheung, General Manager, among others.

“It was a great honour for us to be present at the opening ceremony of this premier event for the global jewellery industry. In fact, it was double the honour for us to inaugurate it and I am thankful to the chairman of the association and all office-bearers for inviting us and bestowing this rare honour on us,” said H.E. Al Midfa.

“The Hong Kong Pavilion has been a regular component of our flagship MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show for years and has brought Hong Kong’s state-of-the-art craftsmanship and magnificent designs to the Middle East market. I am sure that our continued association will benefit the jewellery industry in a big way,” added H.E. Al Midfa.

The Hong Kong International Jewelry Manufacturers’ Show runs until December 2, helping buyers from mainland China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and other parts of Asia Pacific source and restock inventories ahead of the upcoming year-end holiday season.

“We value our partnership with Expo Centre very highly. Our association with Expo Centre Sharjah goes back go decades, right from the initial years of the MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show in the early 1990s. Since then, HKJMA has been a long-standing partner of Expo Centre Sharjah,” said Mr Benny Do.

After the opening ceremony the Expo Centre executives held a meeting with Mr Benny Do and Mr Wings Cheung, where preparations for the upcoming 46th MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show at Expo Centre Sharjah from April 2-6, 2019, and Hong Kong Pavilion were discussed. At 58 exhibitors, the Hong Kong pavilion was the second largest in terms of the number of exhibitors at the previous MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show. In fact, it was just two short of the largest pavilion from India which had 60 exhibitors.

“Our presence here is a tribute to our decades-long association and will go a long way in further strengthening our ties. It is also a recognition of the Middle East jewellery industry, its high potential and the role Sharjah and the MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show play in the growth of the jewellery industry in the region and beyond,” said Mr Ravi.

“The Hong Kong jewellery show was a great experience. It gave us an opportunity to meet our regular exhibitors and at the same time explore possibilities of attracting more jewellers from Hong Kong and the region for our event,” added Mr Ravi.

Established in 1988, Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers’ Association facilitates the participation of jewellery manufacturers and exporters in various overseas exhibitions covering the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia under a common roof ‘Hong Kong Pavilion’.

After the highly successful 45th MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show in October this year, Expo Centre is preparing to organise the 46th edition of the event in April 2019. For the past edition, the MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show hosted more than 500 exhibitors from over 30 countries at 30,000 sq metres of premium exhibition space, attracting more than 60,000 visitors during its five-day run.