Baselworld: Weibo and WeChat’s digital boost offers hope to ailing luxury event
Interest from Chinese social media giants cited for 12 per cent increase in media outreach at annual event for luxury watchmakers and jewellery manufacturers
Despite the withdrawal of manufacturers Swatch – whose brands include Omega, Longines and Blancpain – Corum and Raymond Weil, citing higher costs, Baselworld 2019 finished with measured excitement. As the curtain came down on the luxury event, there was much to ponder, even as new additions were made to the format to entice visitors.
Fashion shows and augmented reality
A snazzy stage called Show Plaza, framed by large screens, played host to fashion shows every hour around the clock with new collections by jewellery brands Picchiotti, Gellner, Leo Pizzo, Hans D. Krieger, Tirisi, Stenzhorn, Nanis, Kimberlite Diamond, Al Coro and Niessing presented by slick models.
A new press lounge greeted journalists and allowed luxury bloggers and influencers to upload their impressions instantly on social media.
Some luxury jewellers even offered an augmented reality (AR) experience for visitors to try on their sparkling new offerings using their smartphones.
In tune with the digitisation tone adapted at the fair, the Baselworld app started offering AR-related experiences this year. An enhanced chatbot provided updated information about exhibitors every two hours, in addition to providing services such as a personal concierge.