Chris Blakeslee has experience at Athleta and Alo Yoga. Kendra Scott will remain on board as executive chair and chief visionary officer.
Producers of Couture, JA NY Launching New Show in Vegas
It’s called Premier and it will premiere in 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

New York--The Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group announced Wednesday it is launching a new show in Las Vegas in 2019 called Premier.
Premier will take place at the same time as Couture, JCK Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show, and will be located at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
After years at the Paris hotel, the antique show moved to the convention center last year. Earlier this year, it was announced that AGTA would be moving its Las Vegas GemFair to join the antique show there in 2019, the same year JCK will be moving back to the Sands.
Premier is being launched as an “alternative environment” in which to exhibit during Las Vegas Market Week for both emerging designers and multi-generational manufacturing brands, said Emerald Expositions’ Drew Lawsky.
Booths will be priced at $3,750 for a 10 x 10 taut fabric booth with carpeting and signage.
The marketing and operations for Premier will be handled by the same team that spearheads both for Couture, CoutureTime, JA New York and U.S. Antique Shows.
When asked why the Emerald jewelry group did not brand this new show after its New York show, i.e., JA Las Vegas, Lawsky said calling the show Premier “gives us a little more creative freedom to start fresh.”
“We really wanted to establish a new entity with a clean slate (from a marketing perspective) in Las Vegas that would allow us to appeal to the various nuances of this particular market,” he said.
The dates for Premier are May 31 to June 4. Manufacturers, brands and designers interested in exhibiting should contact Lawsky at 646-668-3730 or via email at Drew.Lawsky@emeraldexpo.com.
Lawsky said they have verbal agreements from some vendors but have not yet signed any specific brands to exhibit.
The Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group produces Couture, CoutureTime, the JA New York shows and the U.S. Antique Shows events, which includes the trade-only Vegas show.
Premier will be show No. 3 for Emerald in Las Vegas during Jewelry Market Week.
Last year, Emerald Expositions’ Gift, Home and General Merchandise division (which also does ASD and NY Now) introduced Jewellery Box in Las Vegas, a mix of fine jewelry, costume jewelry, and other merchandise, like blown glass and artwork. That show will not return in 2018.
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