Hey Kids, Let's Put on a Show!

And so it has come to this.  With several brands still licking their financial wounds after being strong-armed by fair organizers from the two big shows to make "amicable" settlements, there is now a third show slated for Lausanne, and we are all presuming that Rolex, LVMH, Bucherer and others are going to keep their word and head south and be next door to Watches and Wonders - or maybe be formally asked to join.  And this is presuming that Hayek the Younger doesn't opt to try and do SWATCHVILLE in Zurich at the same time.

Now I like BaselWorld as much as the next guy. Hell, I'd go so far as to say I like it more than most people. But the sad truth is that coming up with a new name is not going to wash the bad taste out of the mouths of several brands who had their feet held to the financial fire by the fair organizers.

So let's break them down, shall we?

Let's assume you are a journalist or retail partner. You decide to start your day in Basel -

Hour Universe:
BaselWorld - "The Big Payback" has been rushed through an extreme makeover that probably wasn't the best considered of plans. I suppose the idea was if you change the name of the fair, maybe brands will forget how they got hosed out of thousands of dollars for exactly ZERO services, and mountains of headaches. Remember that whole "if you take a negotiated deal we'll roll some of those fees to next year"? Well, I might be wrong, but I suspect when BaselWorld announced that the fair had moved from quacking duck to a a l'orange, so did the hopes of the brands of recovering any of their fees. While it may indeed be "We Time", I doubt very seriously that "we" will be paying back/forward any money from this past year. So pucker-up Buttercup, it's really Their Time.  

Now in fairness, if I have read the promotional materials correctly, they are stating that if the fair cannot go forward, monies will be refunded. But for many brand managers and owners that I have talked to, they are not feeling particularly warm and fuzzy about the whole idea. The only fuzzy most of them got from the organizers this past year was the fuzzy end of the lollipop.

Okay, now jump on a tram and get yourself to the SBB station and hop on the first thing smoking south. Allow yourself around 3 to 3.5 hours for transit between stations. Let's be honest, you will be better served to plan your whole day there.

We already know about Watches and Wonders which may have a Rolex/Patek/LVMH mini-show next door. But now that Hour Universe is back like the ghost of last night's stiffy, my money is on the big dogs being invited to join Watches and Wonders.

Now let's hop BACK on the train and zip over to Lausanne!

And now for my personal favorite (yes, that is sarcasm) - Imagination! 

Now with a name like that, well, I mean, just imagine...

Well, you will actually need to leave quite a bit up to your imagination, because a visit to their website will tell you exactly nothing. Actually, that's not fair. It will provide you with a zingy tag-line:

One World One Vision

It will also inform you that it is Coming Soon with a count-down clock.

Now on the one hand, you could argue that the fair is nearly 6 months away - c'mon, that's half a year!  Well, yes and no.  If the "count down" clock is anything to go by, it is 155 days away.  In fact, a closer look at the website does not exactly give a date. So perhaps the countdown clock is counting down to the day the fair dates will be announced? 

Spoiler alert - one of the brands I work with forwarded me the info - Imagination will take place from April 6 - April 11.  

Now consider that it is being held in a fairly large space that has all the warmth and charm of an airplane hangar.  Just imagine!

But then again, it could prove to be the "Richard Clayderman" of the April shows. He wasn't sexy, but if the commercial back in 1984 selling his albums was anything to go by, he was THE MOST POPULAR PIANO PLAYER IN THE WORLD!

From the original album cover

Oh, one last thing...

We still have that pesky problem of COVID-19...

Stage One, Denial - Or Deja Vu All Over Again

Anyone who has made it through Psych 101 will be familiar with the Five Stages of Grief. Today we're going to focus on Stage One - Denial. It is ironic, because in the last 12 months Watch Town has already gone through the Five Stages from Denial to Acceptance and all of the sudden, with the panic laden announcements of several watch shows over the past fortnight, it just goes to show that FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and the refusal to objectively look at reality can make for a dangerous combination.

For those unfamiliar, or who spent more time staring up at the undersides of barroom tables, here is a quick refresher on the Five Stages of Grief and how some of the former mighty watch shows have attempted to navigate them -

DENIAL -

For those of us who work with brands in brand management, we got to see this first hand this past March and April. Even when all of the signs were as clear as, well, this one -

Shamelessly borrowed from the worldwide infoweb

sales agents from the shows kept pestering brands to sign contracts and make deposits - even up to the day before the shows were cancelled. 

ANGER - 

Well, this one was mutual as hotels, airlines, and show organizers invoked the "Act of God" clause which loosely translates to - "Fuck you, pay me!"

And it was met with an equally emphatic reply from the brands:

"Hey, show organizer - Fuck me? Do you read lips? Fuck YOU!"

BARGAINING -

This was where airlines would let you re-schedule your flight (not refund), hotels decided that they would hold brand and retail owners feet to the fire and make them pay for rooms that they would never be able to use, and the shows tried various ham-fisted approaches to make it seem as if - "Hey, we really do care about you!  We're all in this together!  That's why we're not giving you shit, and Jack just left town, so we think it's only fair that you share our pain with us and even though we are not giving you anything, you should help mitigate our loss." Which loosely translates to - we are going to minimize our losses by maximizing yours.  Long story short?  Not too many takers.

DEPRESSION -

Really speaks for itself. This is where several venders and the shows wallowed in self-pity from the self-inflicted wounds they were now acutely feeling.

ACCEPTANCE -

Shows cancelled not just for this year, but next year also. 

So the dust began to settle, some big brands realized that, in fact, they would need to go heavy into shifting to the new reality and go heavy into direct to consumer models.  A few mid-level brands still don't really seem to understand this, so if there's a model you're looking for but the brand doesn't seem to understand the new reality we're living in?  Just sit tight, you'll be able to pick it up in the grey market soon enough ; )

But Watch Town is a funny place, where a lot of decisions are made without any real reflection.  A few of these shows decided, after they said that there would be no show (and making it easier to receive and not return fees), that actually, they would have shows next year, with a new name, and in some cases - a new location! And it would be bigger, better and (to quote that other great commentator on the watch business, Kool Moe Dee) deffer than ANY watch show before or after!

So how ya' like me now?

And had everyone been living in reality, watching the news, realizing that COVID-19 is not on any political or economic side, and is not going away anytime soon it is HIGHLY unlikely that most people are going to want to go near an airplane or a crowded, heavily populated, enclosed space with potential virus carriers from the four corners of the globe.

But as always, we will wait and we will see.

When You Drink Too Much of Your Own Bathwater - The Show Must Go On!

So this hot little nugget landed in the Tempus Fugit mail box yesterday, and I am going to serve it up as it was received -

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION for immediate disclosure
Zug, June 22, 2020 / cen

Since 2009, we have made our active and reasonable contribution to the world of watchmaking and jewellery through events that have acquired an excellent reputation over time.

We are delighted and proud to announce that the preparation of a large professional exhibition is being planned for the spring of 2021 in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

Our event will involve the entire watchmaking and jewellery sector and accessories from Swiss and international brands.

The stands will be of excellent professional standards but within the reach of all brands, large and small. In addition, we will set an innovative but reasonable context in line with the current economic situation of the market.

Our project will become "the place to be." It is supported by national and international associations and organized under the direction of the Swiss Creative Events by professionals. Although the sector is experiencing an unprecedented crisis, our event will support the future and survival of companies and families operating in our business.

Thank you for your confidence and for your participation in our exhibition because "the self-employed must support each other". We must travel together towards the future in the great moments as well as in the most difficult.

Okay, so a lot to unpack here. First and foremost, I have taught English off and on for better than 28 years, and I have to say this is one of the goofiest tangles of bombast fed through Google Translate that I have seen in some time.

But what is fun about this, is it gives us the challenge of playing detective and figuring out just where on the Monopoly board Carlo Naldi is going to land. What suspense!

Well, not really. The French speaking part of Switzerland is code for Geneva, or possibly Lausanne, but my money is on Geneva. Some time in Spring 2021 means... at the same time as Watches and Wonders. I mean, maybe he'll pitch his big-top in the "Bienne" portion of Biel/Bienne?

Whew! Mystery solved!

And it warms my heart to see that there is so much love and care as "the self-employed must support each other". That was certainly our experience at the Hyperion this year after our show in 2019 ; )

We will wait, and we will see.

The "Other" BaselWorld - 2015

As in years previous, Swiss Creative Lab will be hosting several brands that you will want to see and get to know.  But you will not find them in the halls of BaselWorld.  Rather, you will find them in various locations of the Ramada, right next to Hall 2, and across the "tram track" from the Palace.

Some of the folks you will see:

Courtesy of Kairos

                    Kairos - reputed to be offering the world's first mechanical "Smart Watch".

Tiret - the watch brand founded and driven by designer Daniel Lazar.

Dietrich coming off of a fantastic first year, Dietrich will be on hand to share their growing collection.

RALF TECH offering solid, rugged time machines to accompany you through life's adventures

Patrik and GoS Watches will be there with their Damascus steel masterpieces

Atlantic and their collection of timeless watches will be on hand