Public News

Hi This is a draft copy for the Tucson show guide . Can members check there details are correct and if not text me on 0407577545 asap as we are near the dead line

The opal Association next meeting will be in Sydney on the 7 dec-location to be advised later

TUCSON ADVERTISING

Thanks for the approx 20 people who emailed or called me about advertising in the Tucson show guide. There was a variety of views with half wanting the Australian opal trail and half not wanting it. The general view was that most people wanted to see something advertised. Many views where based on members own business situations which is understandable.  How ever the Opal association role is to promote Australian opal as much as possible with a limited budget.

As the deadline is close we have agreed to a one page add in the Tucson show guide and it may be a captains call for content but I will send out a layout to all members before hand. After 25 years of doing shows I no longer do any so my focus is on promoting Australian opal.

For those members showing in Tucson  this year please for ward your booth number and locations! We hope to include these in the add.

INCOLOUR MAGAZINE

This magazine is put out by the International coloured stone association with a circulation of app 60,000 magazines. It is one of the best magazines for the jewellery world with many in depth articles. There is a opportunity to advertise in there magazine in an opal section for Tucson and 3 other  issues a year. We have committed to a one page add for Tucson and at our next meeting which will be in Sydney we can discuss our strategy for advertising for the year. The magazine will be expanding with app 3000 copies sent to leading jewellers in Australia and we understand 3000 copies translated to Chinese also. This would also be ideal for advertising at the Hong Kong show also.

Our association has $28,000 in the bank-not a lot but we can start a program of advertising paid for by the association. I recently went to the facets show in Colombo and I was shocked by the  large number of Chinese buyers there.  Some were locals working in the construction industry acting as middle men and business seed brick.  Sri Lanka and China does have a special trade agreement which helps the gem industry.

Many of our members are concerned to loosing customers if they were encouraged to come to Australia but can you imagine if we bought more buyers in you may loose a client but pick up 3 more.

Should we consider offering Chinese buyers a rebate from the opal association if they buy of our members so we don’t encourage junket trips but encourage more buyers to visit Australia or even Hong Kong? Only food for thought!

FACEBOOK SUCCESS.

One of our members Broken river mining did a great video of cutting open a boulder “one of our favorite 2016 moments.” Check it out on face book as it has nearly 10 million hits!  We should all be doing something like this as it helps your business and also the opal industry.

Our next meeting will be in Sydney  with the date tba.

Kind Regards

Paul Sedawie

President of the Opal Association

http://www.opal.asn.au/opal/

Po Box 323

Mermaid Beach QLD 4218

Australia

0407 577 545

URGENT REPLY FOR ADD IN TUCSON

Hi We only have a few days to confirm the add in the Tucson show guide for 2019. I  have only had a few replies to do an add like last year with the Tucson opal trail.If we decide on an advertisement we can do one of the following.

1 Re -do the add like last year and those exhibiting pay there share.The response has been poor!

2 Promote the Australian opal trail with members exhibiting on the bottom  And the Opal association pays. We could also include that opal production is up on most fields!!

3 or we just promote opal in a one page add-suggestions needed.

4 Do nothing!

Please reply with your comments asap as we dont have much time.

There has been some objections to promoting the Australian opal trail in Tucson as some feel it may take customers away  from exhibitors in Tucson and they will come to the shows in Australia instead .

I do hold a different view in that we should encourage over seas buyers to visit the opal fields to have an adventure and they can then show their customers interesting photos as it includes some emotion.

The reality is that most opal buyers in USA have it on their bucket list to come to the opal fields but it is the start of their selling season and most cant make it.

There is a lot of competition in Tucson  at the shows so you need to be confident with your pricing  and servicing and not worry about loosing customers.We do have funds in the bank and we dont have a strategy for advertising but we should be promoting opals in both Tucson and Hong Kong.

I NEED SOME INPUT FROM MEMBERS ,SO IF YOU DONT REPLY ILL TAKE IT AS A 4

CIBJO CONGRESS

A special thanks to Ruth Benjamin-Thomas who attended the recent congress in Colombia and made a presentation of the opal flow chart to members of CIBJO.This was well received by the congress and we are a bit closer to getting it accepted.

Kind Regards

Paul Sedawie

President of the Opal Association