Despite ongoing protests and occasional violent confrontations with police, there was never any talk of postponing the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, according to the trade show’s top official in an exclusive interview Thursday. “We talked with a few key exhibitors and they told us how important it was to have the show in September. It’s the last show of the year and the last chance to get significant orders,” said David Bondi, senior VP of Informa Markets, which owns and operates the September jewelry and gem fair. “There is no room to hold such a sizable show anytime soon that will meet the (jewelry) industry calendar. A large number of people told us not to change anything and try to deliver the best show we can.”

David Bondi, senior VP of Informa Markets

Informa Markets The 37th annual fair with 3,700 exhibitors in two of Hong Kong’s largest convention facilities is the biggest jewelry trade fair in the world. It will be held September 16 – 20 at the AsiaWorld-Expo near the airport for jewelry-making materials and machinery; and September 20 – 22 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exposition Centre for finished jewelry.

Bondi said so far only about 20 exhibitors have canceled, which is remarkably low. However, he notes that as of Thursday, August 29, many vendors haven’t fully committed either, as some are waiting as long as possible to see how the protests and the government’s response may affect business.

“Exhibitors are hesitant, calling us from all over the world asking what we are doing to try to resolve their issues,” he said. “Right now exhibitors are coming.”

One of those concerned vendors is Edward and Patricia Faber, co-owners of Aaron Faber, a New York retailer that specializes in contemporary studio jewelry, collectible jewelry and vintage timepieces. They have confirmed they will be exhibiting at the trade fair.

“Edward and I are apprehensive about the show and whether people will travel this year to attend,” Patricia Faber said. “For us it is the only opportunity we have to meet with our clients from Asia, China, India and the rest of the globe and so we’re very concerned that they may not make the trip to Hong Kong to be at the show. We’re very concerned about the attendance. That being said we’re also looking forward to it. There are more than 3,700 exhibitors and it will be busy no matter what. We love the show and the city.”

More than 54,000 buyers attended the 2018 fair, despite being closed for a day for the first time in its 36-year history because of super typhoon Mangkhut, considered to be the world’s most powerful storm of the year.

While the majority of exhibitors seem determined to attend the fair, Bondi isn’t as optimistic when it comes to buyers, not only because of the conflict but because of the ongoing and unpredictable U.S.-China trade war.

“We expect the show to welcome fewer people than last year, not only linked to protesters but because the jewelry market is not doing so well,” Bondi said. “We just don’t know how much less it will be.”

One buyer who will not be at the fair is Steven Lagos, founder of the U.S. jewelry brand, Lagos. But it’s not because of the political situation, he said.

“I have a personal commitment that I must attend to. If not I would be attending 100%.”

The main registration area on opening day during the 2018 September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair

Anthony DeMarco To bring more buyers to the fair, the organizers have developed two aggressive initiatives. The first is a telemarketing campaign with the goal of contacting 50,000 buyers throughout the world. Bondi said Thursday that about 20% of the buyers have been contacted so far, adding that many have confirmed their attendance.

The second initiative is providing 10,000 complimentary hotel room nights for buyers. Each exhibitor is being asked to submit the names of three significant buyers who should be entitled to two free consecutive hotel room nights during the September Fair show dates. Exhibitors have until September 5 to submit the three names.

“It’s a massive investment to meet (exhibitor) expectations,” Bondi said.

Earlier in August, Informa Markets also announced contingency plans which publicly consists of traffic alerts and weather alerts (it is typhoon season). It doesn’t sound like much but Bondi said there also is a series of security measures he is not willing to reveal.

“We’ve been working with police on a security contingency plan but we don’t want to advertise it too much. We’ve done a lot of work to prepare. If issues happen we have solutions.”

Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, Informa Markets, added that shuttle buses to and from hotels and the two trade show venues have been increased and drop off points will be changed in case there are any traffic disruptions.

Bondi said he met with the major trade associations on Wednesday and they are backing the fair. However, it wasn’t an easy road alleviating their concerns. In mid-August the Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers’ Association requested a 25% discount for its members , “citing difficult market conditions due to the trade war and social unrest in the city.” In addition, three major trade associations—The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and Israel Diamond Institute (IDI)— released a statement asking organizers to postpone the fair . One of the reasons cited was difficulty getting additional insurance if the protests became riots.

Bondi said the trade associations and their members were responding to some confusion in the media about the city and show and their fears have subsided. He said he chose the road of aggressively lobbying buyers as opposed to discounts for exhibitors because of time constraints.

“It was a bit too rushed to decide on discount requests,” he said. “It doesn’t mean no, we just have not figured out how we are going to do it.”

Bondi said that differing media reports are causing confusion of what the daily situation is like in Hong Kong. The major protests happen during the weekend, but during the week its business as usual. He also notes that the smaller June Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair (also owned and operated by Informa Markets) was held a week after the city’s largest protest ever and went off without any problems.

“We won’t have the perfect show for sure,” he said about the upcoming September fair. “The perception of Hong Kong is not good and a lot of damage was done by the way the events happened and how they have been covered by the media. They tend to cover things when they happen but don’t cover things when they are back to normal.”

Protesters stand in front of fire during a pro-democracy protest in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Hundreds of people are rallying in an athletic park in central Hong Kong as a 13th-straight weekend of pro-democracy protests gets underway. A poster reads " Stop black police disrupting Hong Kong, implement five demands." (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

ASSOCIATED PRESS The anti-government protests began as peaceful demonstrations in March in opposition over plans that would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China. They escalated to the point where the bill was declared to be “suspended” but that didn’t appease the protesters, who said they want the proposal withdrawn. The demands of the protesters eventually expanded into a broader campaign for greater rights and democracy in a direct challenge to Beijing. The response by the Hong Kong police force began turning violent in early June. Vigilante groups, seemingly loyal to the government, also attacked protesters. In response, the protesters turned to sporadic violence.

According to a recent report by Reuters , sometime in the summer, Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, submitted a report to Beijing with a recommendation that withdrawing the extradition bill could help defuse the mounting political crisis. However, the Chinese Central Government, which selected Lam to lead the semiautonomous city, rejected the proposal.

In recent weeks the central Chinese government has taken an increasingly hard line against the protesters, calling some of the protests “riots,” describing the goals of the protest movement as “radical” and showing imagery of Chinese troops on Hong Kong’s border.

While the jewelry show will go on, the result of the ongoing conflict has been damaging to the economic well-being of one of the world’s most important financial centers. The conflict came to a head when protesters and Hong Kong riot police clashed at the international airport, forcing it to close operations. Bondi says out of the 65 million annual visitors to Hong Kong, about 50 million were from Mainland China but visitors from the mainland are down substantially. Reports indicate that retail sales are down significantly and forecasts have been downgraded with the luxury sector taking a big hit.

“On weekdays people are really busy working, and demonstrations happen on weekends. They are usually peaceful but a small minority goes beyond the limits,” Bondi said. “What really hurt was when they blocked the airport. That was really bad for Hong Kong.”

The Hong Kong Airport Authority has since obtained an interim injunction , making it illegal to obstruct or interfere with airport operations. Whether the pro-democracy protesters will honor the injunction is another matter.

As of now, there is no sign that either the protesters or the Hong Kong and China government are willing to compromise. In defiance of a government ban on demonstrating on Saturday, hard-core protesters fought openly with police and lit bonfires on city streets in several neighborhoods.