Leading gem lab International Gemological Institute hosts seminar featuring talk on using the best available information to win customers
SHANGHAI, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- In its annual industry seminar at Jewelry Shanghai 2011, leading gem lab International Gemological Institute (IGI) urged traders to adopt a policy of full disclosure. In an era of information overload, it is vital to have the best and most credible product information. China's premier jewelry show runs through June 19.
Long considered the highlight of IGI's participation in Shanghai's premiere jewelry event, the talk entitled "That Was Then…This Is Now!" by Texas-based gem consultant and educator John Pollard.
"It's a new world! Modern networking and information-sharing empowers consumers to learn the most complex details about diamond and jewelry buying," Pollard warned. "Retailers now have to recognize that improvements in staff-education, disclosure and awareness of future value are becoming increasingly critical to making sales."
Pollard has given IGI presentations before, in Beijing and Shanghai, in 2009. This year's talk was the sixth in an annual series of lectures on industry topics sponsored by IGI at Jewelry Shanghai.
IGI's Hong Kong-based CEO Marc Brauner opened the seminar, noting that IGI has participated in Jewelry Shanghai for five years now. "Everyone can see the industry continues to experience tremendous growth," he said. "But it's also been advancing fast -- with increasingly sophisticated consumers demanding more information on what they purchase."
Brauner said in the next five years, stiffer competition will become a central feature of China's growth story. "The internet, and social networks in particular, now give consumers much more information and that obviously is a bigger factor in buying decisions -- so using technology to keep ahead of the curve and to effectively communicate with customers is the key to survival."
This year's talk, like earlier ones in the series, targeted owners and sales managers of major jewelry retailers from across China, focused on marketing and sales training. Addressing emerging training issues, Pollard demonstrated the different ways staff can confidently discuss products in ways that satisfy current customers, but also future customers with their eyes on celebratory events to come.
Brauner said the IGI series is a key part of international lab's continued education initiatives in China. Through its retail support program, IGI has worked with leading jewelry companies and associations since 2009 to strengthen professional knowledge among jewelry practitioners. Gemological programs developed by IGI and Fudan University's Shanghai Institute of Visual Art have helped hundreds of students steep themselves in worldclass gemology knowhow since 2010.
About IGI
The International Gemological Institute (IGI), the world's largest independent laboratory for testing and evaluating gemstones and fine jewelry, was established in 1975 in Antwerp and is located in New York City, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Dubai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Toronto, Kolkata, New Delhi and Surat. IGI is an ISO accredited worldwide organization. For additional information, please visit www.igiworldwide.com
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