Written by Prof. Jack Rose
Miramar, Florida —Students in Professor Jack J. Rose’s Business Expo class were welcomed at the Miami Beach Convention Center by Sara McDonough, Director, Industry Relations and Special Events, for the Jewelers International Showcase (JIS) Miami Trade Show.
Ms. McDonough spoke with the group sharing what it takes to execute a trade show such as JIS. The show is B2B, meaning Business-to-Business, and the general public cannot attend. They have spent many years building relationships with jewelry manufacturers and designers and are expecting the Miami show to break all previous records. “The pandemic literally brought everything to a halt, but now many of our exhibitors need to replenish their inventories for the upcoming holiday selling period,” she shared. JIS has two shows per year, one in March, to replenish inventories, and this one in October so businesses can buy merchandise for the upcoming holiday season. Enthusiastically, McDonough stated that “all indications point to a very profitable holiday season.” “Most of the buyers who attend this show are from the Eastern United State, the Caribbean, and South America. Many of these businesses have problems with receiving merchandise, so many of them come with suitcases to bring home their purchases, since this is a cash and carry event.” The supply line, especially in transporting goods, is having difficulties in getting merchandise to many countries. Having seen empty shelves here in the United States is reflective of this problem; however, it is a global problem that is affecting the transporting of goods throughout the world.
Though the students could not go through the exhibit hall, Ms.McDonough accompanied the group into the exhibit hall so students could see the setup and the millions of dollars in inventory that exhibitors brought with them. She pointed out the different areas of the trade show and stated, “our businesses can find all price points here, from costume jewelry to very fine jewelry, diamonds, and other precious stones. The students stopped at one of the front booths and the exhibitor spoke with them, saying that the company has been attending this particular trade show for over 30 years.
Ms. McDonough pointed out to the students that vendors pay for premium space such, as the booth we visited. She said that building relationships with vendors is very crucial to the success of the show. There are also marketing opportunities for vendors to participate in, such as banners and premium listings in the program and floor banners in the entry way into the Exhibit Hall.
Since this was the opening day for JIS, Ms. McDonough stopped a few times to direct her staff to complete certain tasks. The students were impressed with her taking the time to interact with them and sharing her email address with the student, showcasing how networking was very important in anyone’s career. She invited the students to keep in touch and to email her with any questions they might have.
Professor Rose thanked Sara McDonough stating, “I know how busy you’ve been and we are grateful for your sharing your expertise with the students. Education today is a partnership and you certainly contributed to the education process, and we are very appreciative. After Ms. McDonough left the area, Professor Rose turned to the students and said, “You just witnessed what we’ve discussed over and over again — build relationships, network, emulate her professionalism, learn all you can, and I have no doubt that you will be in her shoes one day.”
For further information, contact United International College at (954) 607-4344. Learn more about UIC’s Business Programs.