INSIDER VIEW: Basel 2.0 is here — but what is it for?

Writing about the resurrection of a trade show in the Swiss city of Basel was certainly not on my bingo card this week.

But here we are.

In a somewhat muted press conference yesterday, MCH Group (former Baselworld organisers) and Informa Markets Asia teamed up to announce the launch of Basilia, a new tradeshow dominated by jewellery, but with watches expected to make up 25% of the exhibitor lineup.

It will be held in April next year, timed to tag on to the back of Watches and Wonders (which hasn’t yet announced its 2027 dates).

I wrote a tongue-in-cheek article about how much I missed the ‘Pickwick’ pub in Basel from the seven editions of Baselworld that I attended back in the day. It was where the British and Irish watch industry descended at 6pm for a well-earned quench after a hard day’s work. It was a wonderful way to meet new people working in the trade — from retailers and brands alike — in a relaxed environment. It’s something that Geneva has simply failed to replicate.

But this wasn’t the only major positive of Baselworld. It was also the biggest showcase for watches that the world has ever seen, or will ever see again. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of watch brands would present their products across three floors of halls 1 and 2, along with countless others in adjacent hotels.

Most would agree that the world didn’t need — and still doesn’t need — this number of watch brands, but that can’t be held against Baselworld. For it to have achieved that scale for so many decades is impressive and it will never be repeated.

And this brings me onto the problem that Basilia will have from day one. By the end of its life, Baselworld was playing the FOMO card as almost its entire sales pitch. In other words, exhibitors were too afraid of what it would look like if they didn’t exhibit to withdraw, and so they tolerated the ludicrous prices and the arrogant attitude of the organisers. Once Swatch Group and a few other major exhibitors withdrew, the house of cards collapsed almost overnight.

Basilia will not have anywhere this same scale to fall back on. It expects over 400 exhibitors in year one. Not only is this number a fraction of Baselworld, but it’s not even guaranteed. When asked to confirm at least one exhibitor at the press conference, the answer was: “Selling starts tomorrow.” They’ve even said that the whole thing will take place in Hall 2, not the stunning and vast Hall 1, designed by the world-renowned Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

Let’s assume for a moment that it does sell over 400 stands (it claims that the split will be roughly 50% jewellery brands, 25% gems, 25% watches). That would be a good effort for a first-year exhibition.

But the long-established (and very popular) Inhorgenta trade show in Munich has around 900 exhibitors. Vicenzaoro in Italy has over 1,000. 

So, the question that Basilia has to answer is: what problem is it providing a solution for? What gap in the market does it think it’s spotted?

I’m all for events and exhibitions, as I don’t believe that there is a substitute for face-to-face interactions and being able to see/feel a product up close. And so I’ll be rooting for Basilia and hoping that it finds a valuable place in the eco-system as soon as possible.

But, as the organisers acknowledged multiple times yesterday at the press conference, watches have found a home in Geneva during Watches and Wonders, especially at the luxury end. 

If the play here isn’t luxury watches — and it’s going to be mainly made up of jewellery and gem exhibitors (which already have multiple international trade shows in Europe, as discussed) — then what is it?

I’m looking forward to finding out next April.