The American Watch Guild and Centurion Jewelry By Invitation Only have teamed up to debut The International Watch Conference at Centurion South Beach this fall.

The invitation-only event will be the focal point of education at the Centurion South Beach Show, which is slated for Oct. 15-18 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, in Miami Beach, Fla.

“Better fine jewelry retailers are increasingly focused on the importance of watch brands in their marketing strategy,” Howard Hauben, president and CEO of Centurion, said in a release. “There is a substantial amount of excellent, brand-related information available to retailers, but an international watch conference devoted to the 'watch business' is a new, value-added approach that will shed light on many highly controversial and money-making topics for prestige-level retailers and brands, alike.”

Bertram Kalisher, executive director of the American Watch Guild, which counts some 200 fine retail stores in the United States and Canada among its members, said the event will fill an industry need.

“We are regularly asked by our members to provide professional watch sales and service training information, and delivering to top retailers and brands an exciting, live event to cover highly controversial issues and money-making business ideas and strategies is both a win-win and a great mission,” Kalisher said.

The International Watch Conference at Centurion South Beach will offer nine hours of sessions throughout the four-day show. Content suggestions from retailers and manufacturers have already been pouring in, according to the organizers.

“We want to really dig into what's critical to better watch retailers and brands and this will mean highly controversial topics like mandated margin reductions, discounting, Internet issues, supply issues, distribution challenges, which business models will and may not survive and so much more,” said Kalisher. “There will also be excellent general education on many aspects of the business that will assist retailers in building sales and profits of their watch lines.”

A portion of the conference proceeds will go toward the American Watch Guild effort to assist war veterans in becoming professional watch technicians. In addition to the International Watch Conference, the Centurion South Beach show offers retailer attendees social networking and hospitality events, meals, a collection floor with some 60 top jewelry and watch designers and manufacturers (open Oct. 16 and 17), and a leisure afternoon with golf and tennis.

Invited retailers will also receive up to four nights at host Loews Miami Beach Hotel, right on South Beach, as well as complimentary meals and social functions and leisure activities.

For further information on the watch conference, contact the American Watch Guild at (516) 295-2516 or e mail [email protected]