NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This April, the LINK Jewelry Summit, organized by the International Herald Tribune, the global edition of the New York Times, will bring together business leaders, educators and some of the most creative minds in jewelry, retail and design for an innovative forum. Conference chair, Katharina Flohr, Creative and Managing Director of Fabergé, along with Deborah Lloyd, President and Chief Creative Officer, kate spade new york; Joseph Wan, Group Chief Executive, Harvey Nichols and Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Founder, Delfina Delettrez have been announced as panel guests. The first of its kind, the summit will be hosted by Swarovski in Vienna, Austria at the Aula der Wissenschaften (Hall of Sciences) from April 23-24, 2013.
LINK - Learn, Imagine, Network and Know - will address the pressing topical issues facing the jewelry industry today. This exclusive international conference will give industry leaders the opportunity to examine key issues in an open and objective environment, while also allowing them to Learn about the critical factors that are shaping and driving the global fashion jewelry market; Imagine the possibilities and explore the opportunities; Network with the brightest and best commercial and creative brains, and Know how to plan for the future of the industry. Swarovski, an industry leader in creative innovation for over a century, is proud to host this new platform; endorsing the goals of the summit: to link the participants and put their visions, passions and knowledge to work to form a creative think tank for the entire fashion jewelry business.
With more than thirty years of expertise in delivering prestigious industry conferences, the International Herald Tribune has put together a think tank panel of speakers ranging from Andrea Morante, CEO, Pomellato; Joe Cavalcante, CEO, Ippolita; Claus Teilmann Petersen, Vice President, Group CSR Pandora, to Colin Welch, President and Chief Operating Officer, Financo and Chris Bangel, Car Designer, Chris Bangle Associates. The distinguished list of speakers will also include three members of Swarovski’s executive board, Robert Buchbauer, Markus Langes-Swarovski and Nadja Swarovski as well as Swarovski Executive Vice President - Manufacturing, Bernhard Pleschko. The summit will further be strengthened through the presence of global industry leaders such as: Iris Apfel, Businesswoman, Style Icon and Tastemaker; Richard Saul Wurman, Architect, Designer and TED Founder; Massimo Carraro, Founder and CEO, Morellatto S.p.A.; Lois Sherr Dubin, Director George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution; Mohammed Al Fahim, Group Chief Executive Officer, Paris Galley; and as guest chair Victoria Gomelsky, Editor in Chief, JCK Magazine with many others scheduled to attend. A diverse international awareness, coupled with the wealth of category knowledge brought by the unique group of speakers, will certainly entertain, educate and inspire; sparking further dialogue around the world and helping place LINK firmly on the international stage. For more information on the LINK Jewelry Summit, please visit WWW.LINKJEWELRYSUMMIT.COM
About the International Herald Tribune (global.nytimes.com)
The International Herald Tribune (IHT) is the premier international newspaper for opinion leaders and decision-makers around the globe. It combines the extensive resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times, is printed at 40 sites throughout the world and is for sale in more than 160 countries and territories. Based in Paris since 1887, the IHT is owned by The New York Times Company. For more information about the IHT, visit ihtinfo.com
About SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS is the premium brand for the finest crystal elements manufactured by Swarovski. The designer’s choice since the founding of the company in 1895, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS provide global brands and designers from the fashion, jewelry, accessories, interior design and lighting industries with the latest on-trend innovations. Available in myriad colors, effects, shapes and sizes, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS offer designers a fabulous palette of inspiration. Born out of a passion for detail and high-precision cutting, they impart refined glamour to everything they embellish. These precious ingredients can be recognized by their ‘MADE WITH SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS’ label, which serves as a certificate of authenticity, identifying products made with genuine SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Swarovski, a family-owned company for more than 100 years, with values rooted in integrity, respect and excellence, is noted as much for its ethics in business as for its contemporary artistry and innovative flair.
In 1895, Daniel Swarovski, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly-invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewelry stones. From this beginning that revolutionised the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be the world’s leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion, jewelry and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the company, still family-owned and run by 5th generation family members, has a global reach with some 26,100 employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2011 of 2.22 billion euros. Swarovski comprises two major businesses, one producing and selling loose elements to the industry and the other creating design-driven finished products. Swarovski crystals have become an essential ingredient of international design. Since 1965 the company has also catered to the fine jewelry industry with precision-cut genuine gemstones and created stones. Showing the creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski’s own brand lines of accessories, jewelry and home décor items are sold through more than 2,200 retail outlets worldwide. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 300,000 members across the world, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in Wattens, Swarovski Kristallwelten, the multi-media crystal museum, was opened in 1995 as a celebration of Swarovski’s universe of innovation and inspiration.