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BASEL 2001 - World Watch and Jewellery Show – The Leading Event in the Sector

The BASEL 2001, World Watch and Jewellery Show, has once again proved to be the leading annual event for the watches and jewellery branch. After eight strenuous but extremely successful days, the 2,300 exhibitors at the BASEL 2001 finally closed the doors on their 86,700 visitors on 29 March 2001 (being a 2% increase on the previous year). Most exhibitors reacted with expressions of positive results over the course of the eight days, in spite of the apparent gradual slow-down in the U.S. economy and were able to post excellent sales' figures. The BASEL Forum 2001 succeeded in encouraging discussion and distinguished itself as a form of professional know-how platform. At the end of Fair, Alexandra Schoenenberger was honoured with the first prize of the BASEL Awards.

On the occasion of the 29th BASEL 2001 World Watch and Jewellery Show, manufacturers and traders of watches' and jewellery - as well as the suppliers' industry to the trade - displayed their world premiers in products and high quality collections. The tendency towards top grade products and specialities appears to be continuing. The diversification of watch brands into jewellery as well as of the jewellery manufacturers into watches, was evidently apparent. The President of the Swiss Watchmakers' Manufacturers' Association, Mr. Hugues-Olivier Borès recognised stated a clear trend toward "femine" style products as well as loyalty on the part of customers to the various brands. New buyers and new countries were primarily noticed in the "Haute-de-Gamme" upper sector of the market. When speaking for Patek Philippe, Mr. Borès felt that they had achieved the best sales' response at the BASEL since its inauguration. The BASEL 2001 was successful in attracting the impressive number of 2,300 exhibitors from 40 different countries and broke records by occupying 91,858 square meters of stand space. During the open days of the BASEL 2001, 86,700 trade visitors from over 100 countries were welcomed, and this figure proved to show an unanticipated growth of 2% on the previous year.
The manufacturers in the industry predominantly reported extremely satisfactory trade fair business and the purchasing attitudes of the buyers were of the order of "mixed" up to "highly satisfied". Exhibitors reported on numerous new customer contacts. "This indicates the likelihood of brisk business after the BASEL", said Dr. Alfred Schneider, the chief manager of the "BV Schmuck und Uhren".

During the BASEL 2001, the Trade Fair Management were officially advised, that the watch brands of IWC - International Watch Company of Schaffhausen, Jaeger Le-Coultre as well as Lange and Sons, would no longer be exhibiting at the BASEL 2002 - World Watch and Jewellery Show.
The LMH Group (Les Manufactures Horlogères), to which the three brands belong, was taken over by the Richemont Group in the summer of 2000. The Richemont Group will be exhibiting its brands at the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva, Switzerland.

BASEL Forum
The BASEL Forum projected its attention towards two different worlds, the "e-world" and "the real world". Mr. Pascal Schermesser of "DRP" summed up the heated discussion with the classic remark from Shakespeare's Hamlet - "To be or not to be, that is the question". The onward development of the global internet network in the past years incorporates a challenge for certain traditions in the luxury goods business. On the other hand, even the world-wide-web (www) itself is confronted with certain challenges. All the Forum speakers came to the same conclusion: yes to the internet as a supportive possibility; no to the internet, or perhaps not quite yet, as the sole marketing instrument and distribution channel for unique emotionally-charged luxury goods.

The Welcoming Party and the BASEL 2001 Award
The BASEL 2001 Awards were accorded to three young female students of the colleges participating in the BASEL, within the scope of the "Get Together" Events on 22nd March 2001, which was attended by over 2,000 invited guests. The guests were able to enjoy a surrealistic evening with show and music to celebrate this year's BASEL Award Theme, "Surreal Appeal". The ten designs competing for the Award had been exhibited in the foyer of the Jewellery Pavilion (Halle 2) during the whole time period of the Trade Fair. The First Prize of CHF 10,000.00 was accorded to Alexandra Schoenenberger and presented to her by Sir Edward Heath on behalf of the BASEL. The Second Prize of CHF 5,000.00 was awarded to Simone Stenger and Keiko Shitaya received the Third Prize of CHF 2,500.00.

The Panel
An arbitration tribunal was introduced within the scope of the 
BASEL for the first time in 1985, to assess infringements of commercial trade protection rights. This international arbitration tribunal, comprised of trade experts and legal advisors - briefly referred to as the Panel - meets upon the request of exhibitors and non-exhibitors. The arbitration awards are handed down by the Panel within 24 hours after the receipt of a complaint and come into force with immediate effect.

The Panel adjudicated 21 cases of infringements of registered utility sample- and -model rights of a brand or a patent. During the BASEL 2000, there had been 20 cases to adjudicate, and in 1999 there were 21 infringements to be assessed. Since its inauguration, the Panel has handled over 550 cases of dispute with reference to trademarks, registered utility- samples and -models as well as unfair- and unlawful -competition. The number of cases dealt with by the Tribunal has thus been stabilised at a relatively lower level than in previous years.

Although the worldwide problem of falsifications and imitations still continues to be considerable, especially in the watches and jewellery sector, the Messe Basel organisation has succeeded consistently in reducing the number of imitations at the BASEL, by means of this worldwide unique institution of the Panel.

Dates: 2002 14 - 21 March 2002

visit www.messebasel.ch for more information

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