WCJE Show Report

Having a great time, hope you are here.  The 2012 installment of the Western Canadian Jewellery Expo is in full swing.  The exhibit hall is full, attendance is up and exhibitors are reporting strong sales.  A more diverse menu is being offered for lunch, and the opening reception wasn’t short on kebabs, crab-cakes or shrimp canapés.  Wine tasting was enjoyed by many along with the CJA’s ice-cream offerings in the afternoon.

In attendance are the new triumvirate of executives from CJA, DiGem and CJG:

CJA – Kim Markwart – Tisdale, SK

DiGem – Ron Caine – Rocky Mountain House, AB

CJG – Wayne Fisher – Lloydminster, AB

Once again thank you for your passion for the industry.  We are proud that these influential Westerners have a hand in shaping the future of the Canadian jewellery trade.

First thing this morning I gave a talk on Social Media Marketing.  It was interesting to see the various levels of engagement among the DiGem members in attendance; ranging from “I don’t have a Facebook page” to “We spend about 35 hours per week managing our social media campaign.”  I think those who are hold-outs discovered some compelling reasons to get started; although not everyone is striving to put as much energy into it as Appelts does.

As I went through the prepared material, the one point that rose to the top is that one shouldn’t relegate social media marketing to a junior staff member.  The primary content needs to come from someone who has experience, product knowledge and a vision for where you want to take your brand.  Promotion of individual designs and offers should be wrapped in a generous dose of content which is beneficial and interesting to your target audience.  Jeff Appelt related that one of their most viral social media posts was a photo of a family of ducks waddling by the front of his store; prompting a flood of suggestions for naming the ducks.

For those of you attending the 5^th Annual Evening of Digem Decadence, don’t forget to look for the four-piece collection of Toddwaz’ favorite bottles of wine … and bit it through the roof!!!