Recent questions posed on Orchid prompt this e-mail. MJSA Expo New
York March 8-10 will have panel discussions, seminars, and workshops
in which presenters and panelists will share high-level expertise on
topics of great importance to Orchidians. They are free for show
attendees except for the workshops noted. Here’s a partial lineup:
–Keynote Panel on economy: "“How Bad is Bad and What Good Might
Come From it?” To quote MJSA president Curt Ley: “It’s MJSA’s
responsibility to examine the landscape and report on it with
ruthless honesty. Only through frank discussion can practical
solutions be found that will help floundering companies survive and
competitive companies excel.” Panel will be composed of successful
industry executives with a broad spectrum of perspectives: Rich
Powers president and CEO of Cookson Precious Metals; Dave Meleski,
president of the Richline Group; Doug McDowell, president of Memoire;
Michael Bondanza of Michael Bondanza Inc.; Tim Dinneny of Scotia
Bank,; and Maeve Gillies, co-founder and owner of MaeVona.
–“Dealing with Slow Payers and Bad Debt”, by Dione Kenyon, the CEO
of the Jewelers’ Board of Trade
–Panel on the New Lead Law: “Get the Lead Out: How The New Federal
Law WILL Affect Your Precious Metal Jewelry Business.” Industry
representatives who’ve been deeply involved in dealing with the lead
restrictions will discuss the law, compliance issues, and compliance
methods.
–Retail Summit: “What Retailers Want From Manufacturers.” Panelists
will be representatives of leading retailers such as QVC.
–“Marketing to Gen-Y: The New Generation of Jewelry Buyers,”
presented by Ken Gassman, who’s one of the best jewelry industry
analysts out there and has discovered (by culling mountains of
government statistics) that Gen Y shapes up as a strong jewelry
market.
–“Profiting with Palladium” (Paid Sessions): Three
seminars/workshops on “Palladium at the Bench” (speaker is Chris
Ploof, Chris Ploof Studio and a consultant with Palladium Alliance
International), “Casting Palladium” (Linus Drogs, Au Enterprises and
the casting consultant for PAI), and “Palladium Designs: Three Case
Studies,” (Jim Binnion, Bruce Pucciarello, Egeman Barlas).
–CAD/CAM Certificate Series (Paid Sessions): Three
seminars/workshops on “CAD/CAM, Custom Design, and You.” Three
sessions on “Creating Custom Designs in CAD” (Lee Krombholz, who
runs a custom design house), “Virtual Velocity: CAD/CAM as a
Marketing Tool” (Greg Stopka, a pioneer in the use of virtual
inventory), and “Choosing the CAD/CAM System That’s Right for You.”
Contact MJSA or me directly for more
Gerry Davies
Managing Editor
MJSA Journal