Following in-depth discussions with exhibitors and having investigated various alternatives, MCH Swiss Exhibition has announced that BASELWORLD will be held exclusively in Base in the future. The extra exhibition floor space required for the Hall of Universe will be created close to the existing exhibition centre in Basel.
The Hall of Universe, which was located in Zurich in 2003, houses national pavilions from around 25 countries with approximately 800 exhibiting companies. At a meeting in early July, the board of directors of Swiss Exhibition approved the plan to expand the existing exhibition space to include a new hall nearby to accommodate the Hall of Universe.
"Demand for additional exhibition space led us to move the Hall of Universe to Zurich in 2003, as there was no alternative in Basel at that time. In recent months, however, a suitable site has become available for development. This allows us to design an exclusive location for the Hall of Universe within the total Show context in Basel.
"Clearly, this represents a significant investment for us and one that we believe is totally justified for the long-term success of the Show. We have discussed our plans for the Show extensively with all our exhibitors and early indications show that this will be well received, " said a joint statement from Martin Fergusson, show director (watch brands), Monica Guarnaccia, show director (marketing and communication) and Sylvie Sengelin, show director (jewellery and related brands).
This was confirmed by this year's visitor's survey. According to the results, trade buyers considered BASELWORLD to be the leading watch and jewellery show and assessed the new show concept as very good.
The overall concept of BaselWorld will remain unchanged by the consolidation of the entire event in Basel. Halls 1 to 5 will follow the same segmentation as introduced in 2003. Swiss Exhibition will develop the new hall (Hall 6) on an existing warehouse complex that lies within walking distance of the main exhibition site. This will provide the additional exhibition space for the Hall of Universe, as a separate, dedicated sector.