20th Edition of Japan Jewellery Fair Opens

- Increase in size of exhibition bucks the economic trend

HONG KONG and TOKYO, August 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Japan Jewellery Fair, organised by UBM Japan Co Ltd and the Japan Jewellery Association, opened today at the Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center. The three-day event has attracted a total of 394 exhibiting companies, a significant increase from 369 last year, with a corresponding increase in exhibition space. This expansion in the size of the fair comes in sharp contrast to the lackluster state of the economy and the contraction in the size of other jewellery exhibitions held in Japan this year.

(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2010/04/19/20100419602891.jpg )

Commenting on this year's exhibition, Christopher Eve, Managing Director of UBM Japan Co Ltd, said: "The Japan Jewellery Fair always focuses on attracting professional buyers and providing a trade-only business environment. In these tough economic times, buyers and sellers are looking for an exhibition that offers the highest return on their investment, and the Japan Jewellery Fair clearly meets that need."

This year marks the 20th edition of the fair, and a number of special events and seminars are held during the fair to commemorate the anniversary. Of the 394 exhibitors, 51 are international jewellery companies from 19 countries and regions. There are 21 national and themed pavilions, including the Quality Design Zone for high-end jewellery collections, the Japan Pearl Pavilion that includes displays of the highest quality Japanese akoya pearls, and the Bridal Jewellery Zone displaying the latest trends in engagement and wedding jewellery.

One of the highlights of the first day of the fair was the announcement of the JJA Jewellery Design Awards. These prestigious annual awards, organised by the Japan Jewellery Association, aim to promote the advancement of jewellery culture in Japan under the slogan of "Projecting the Best of Japanese Jewellery to the World". Commenting on the awards, Mr. Tomoyuki Hori, Chairman of the Japan Jewellery Association, said: "Amid these difficult economic times, I feel certain that these outstanding jewellery designs and techniques will serve an important role in stimulating the Japanese jewellery market."

The Opening Ceremony of the exhibition was graced with the presence of the hugely popular Japanese actress and fashion designer, Ms Uno Kanda. Ms Kanda, who has been appointed by the Japan Jewellery Association as their Jewellery Ambassador, assisted with the unveiling of the Association's "Bonds of Love" jewellery promotion campaign, for which she had designed a special jewellery collection. Following the terrible earthquake and tsunami last year there was a surge in awareness among the general public of the importance of close personal relationships and the bonds of love that support people in their lives. The campaign was launched to remind people of the important role that jewellery can play as a symbol of those bonds.

The next edition of the Japan Jewellery Fair will be held from 27-29 August 2013 at the Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center.

Event Summary

Notes to Editors

1. About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com) Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia operates in 19 market sectors with headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia, including UBM China in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Beijing. We have over 240 products including trade fairs, conferences, trade publications, B2B/B2C portals and virtual event services. As Asia's leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in China, India and Malaysia, we stage the leading events of their kind across the region. Our 200 events, 24 publications and 16 vertical portals serve over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world with high value face-to-face business-matching events, quality and instant market news and industry trends, and round-the-clock online trading networks and sourcing platforms. We have over 1,100 staff in 21 major cities across Asia, stretching from Japan to Turkey.

2. About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)
UBM plc is a leading global company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,600 staff in 31 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

For press enquiries, please contact:
Jennifer Law, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications, UBM Asia
Tel: +852-2516-1691
Fax: +852-3749-7342
Email: Jennifer.Law@ubm.com

Elsie Hui, Corporate Marketing & Communications Executive, UBM Asia
Tel: +852-2516-1679
Fax: +852-3749-7342
Email: Elsie.Hui@ubm.com