lingering sense of nostalgia inevitably returns for those who spent some of the finest moments of their professional lives here, every spring, for years - or even decades. Back at Messe Basel, where a significant chapter in the history of Swiss and international watchmaking was written. While Baselworld is gone, the city of Basel itself was vibrant and full of life on June 18, 2026. And it undoubtedly misses its status as a global crossroads for the watchmaking and jewellery industries.

The press conference, led by Roman Imgrüth, CEO of MCH Exhibitions & Events, opened with a clear assessment: Basel can no longer realistically aspire to be the place where High Jewellery and High Watchmaking meet. That role now belongs to Geneva, which has become the global capital of the high-end segment that once transformed Basel’s exhibition halls into lavish architectural showcases for just over a week each year.

The organisers instead posed a different question: what about the rest of the industry? The countless brands and companies with no ambition to join the exclusive world of luxury, yet which collectively produce tens of millions of watches every year. “In Switzerland alone, there are hundreds of jewellery and watch brands,” Roman Imgrüth pointed out. “Yet they have struggled to find an international trade fair that truly meets their commercial needs.”

In its heyday, Baselworld brought together every segment of the market, from entry-level to the very top. It was where a Thai retailer could discover a Brazilian jewellery brand. Basilia intends to preserve that global dimension, while making it accessible and open to manufacturers, suppliers, independent brands, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and sourcing specialists alike.

“The high-end segment has found its home. The rest of the market has not,” Imgrüth summarised. “The companies that form the backbone of this industry deserve a platform designed around their needs.” Not something “inherited from the past,” he added with a smile, “but a platform built for the future.”

The strategic alliance with Informa

Basilia’s greatest strength arguably lies in the partnership between Basel-based MCH Group and Informa Markets Asia, which today operates the world’s largest network of trade fairs dedicated to jewellery and gemstones, notably through Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong, widely regarded as the industry’s leading sourcing event.

For Margaret Ma Connolly, President and CEO of Informa Markets Asia, joining forces with MCH Group was a natural step. “Our two organisations are leaders in creating platforms where business flourishes and meaningful connections are made. Together, we are building a global event that responds to the evolving needs of the industry while celebrating the diversity that makes it so vibrant and dynamic.”

This complementarity also lies at the heart of the message delivered by Andrea Zappia, Interim CEO of MCH Group: “Basilia is a platform designed to support the future of the jewellery and watch industries by responding to their changing needs. By combining Informa Markets’ global reach and deep understanding of Asia’s industrial ecosystem with MCH Group’s expertise in creating world-class event platforms, we are establishing in Basel a new kind of international marketplace—one conceived from the outset to connect supply and demand across continents.”

Addressing the growing complexity of sourcing

Basilia aims to become a bridge between Asia’s manufacturing and commercial strength and the European market, at a time when supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and sourcing requirements are evolving rapidly.

It is precisely this challenge that, according to Informa Markets, justifies the launch of the new event. “We go where the market needs us most and where we can create genuine value,” explained Celine Lau, Director of Jewellery Fairs at Informa Markets. “Sourcing has never been more complex. Buyers are looking for trusted partners who truly understand the challenges they face. Basilia bridges that gap by directly connecting buyers with specialised suppliers offering genuine expertise and fresh perspectives.”

In the organisers’ vision, Basilia should become the natural meeting point between Asia, Europe and Western markets, with jewellery—unsurprisingly—expected to account for the majority of exhibitors.

A city rather than a trade fair

The project’s visual identity has been entrusted to MCH Group’s Creative Director, Art’ur Faria, who notably served as Art Director for last year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. His starting point was an implicit criticism of many trade fairs: their tendency to standardise the cultural and commercial identities of exhibitors.

“We asked ourselves a simple question,” explained Faria. “Why should a company from Hong Kong, Jaipur, Istanbul or Seoul have to tone down its identity in order to fit into the format of a conventional trade fair?”

The answer became the founding concept behind Basilia: a city. “Instead of asking exhibitors to adapt to the fair, we chose to build the fair around their origins.”

In his view, a city provides the ideal metaphor for bringing together different cultures, crafts and traditions without forcing them into uniformity.

“A city belongs to no single owner. It evolves over time. It welcomes different communities. It doesn’t ask you to become someone else in order to enter.”

This philosophy will be reflected from the very first edition through the theme of ’a city under construction’. The symbolism is deliberate: the organisers want to acknowledge that Basilia is only beginning its story, rather than pretending to arrive as a finished product.

“Today we are planting the first seed,” said Roman Imgrüth. “Great trade fairs are not built in a single edition. They grow through trust, consistency, partnerships and listening.”

Art’ur Faria echoed the same vision through the event’s scenography. Exposed structures, signage inspired by contemporary urban planning and adaptable exhibition spaces will encourage visitors not only to imagine the inaugural edition, but also what Basilia could become in 2028, 2029 and beyond.

“We are showing what is being built today, while already allowing visitors to glimpse what could exist tomorrow.”

Neighbourhoods, valleys and districts

Rather than adopting the traditional country-by-country layout, Basilia will be organised into neighbourhoods and districts inspired by the structure of major international cities.

The exhibition will be divided into Jewellery Neighbourhoods, Diamond & Gem Districts, Watch Valleys, European Districts, a Swiss District, and a dedicated Tech Hub. Dedicated areas will also evoke some of the world’s leading centres for jewellery manufacturing, trading and design, including Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jaipur, Istanbul, Antwerp, Paris and Milan.

The objective, however, is not to reproduce a geographical map of the world, but to foster professional communities. A Hong Kong exhibitor may therefore be located alongside a Korean or European company if they operate within the same product category.

“We don’t want to think like a trade fair,” Art’ur Faria summed up. “We want to think like a city.”

Accessibility at the core

Another sensitive issue addressed during the presentation was the cost of participation. The organisers acknowledged that the steadily rising investment required to exhibit at some major international fairs has gradually pushed a significant part of the industry away.

Basilia intends to take a different approach by offering a common architectural framework and stands of varying sizes, all integrated into a shared visual identity.

This commitment to accessibility is directly linked to the show’s positioning: attracting not only major groups but also the mid-sized companies that make up the bulk of the global jewellery and watchmaking industry.

With more than 400 exhibitors expected at its inaugural edition, and a projected exhibitor mix of 50% jewellery, 25% gemstones and 25% watchmaking, Basilia presents itself less as the successor to a defunct trade fair than as an answer to the new realities of international trade.

As for the calendar, the event will take place immediately after the professional days of Watches and Wonders, from 8 to 11 April 2027.

Whether the market will embrace this vision remains to be seen. The organisers, however, are already looking far ahead. “Our ambition is to create Europe’s leading platform dedicated to jewellery and watches,” Roman Imgrüth concluded. “This is not a launch - it is a process. The platform will grow alongside the industry it serves.”