About 12% less people attending the big BaselWorld jewelry industry convention.
National Jeweler Networkreports that the show organizers were expecting a tough year so they are optimistic and say the show gave the industry a boost and momentum going forward.
By the time show doors closed on Thursday, a total of 93,900 visitors from around the world had made their way through. That total is about a 12 percent decline from attendance figures at the 2008 show, which boasted 106,800 visitors, a figure that represented a 5 percent increase over 2007.
This year, 68.1 percent of those who visited the Swiss show were attending from overseas, an increase from the 63.6 percent of overseas visitors who attended the show in 2008.
Show organizers, who were braced for a tough year given the current global financial woes, reported feeling positive about the event's outcome.
"BaselWorld 2009 has shown that the watch and jewelry industry is facing up to this difficult economic situation in an extremely constructive way," BaselWorld Show Director Sylvie Ritter said in a press release. "BaselWorld 2009 has successfully given the watch and jewelry industry new momentum and, as a result, business has been boosted."
The Baselworld website is already ready to move on to the next conference, which will take place on March 18 to 25, 2010 in Basel, Switzerland.
About 12% less people attending the big BaselWorld jewelry industry convention.
National Jeweler Network 
