Basilia to Launch in Basel in April 2027 as New International Jewellery and Watch Fair

A joint venture between MCH Group and Informa Markets aims to create a new European platform connecting Asia, Europe and global markets.

Basel will welcome a new international jewellery and watch fair in April 2027 with the launch of Basilia, a platform jointly created by MCH Group and Informa Markets Asia. Conceived as a bridge between East and West, the fair aims to establish itself as Europe’s leading marketplace for jewellery and watches by combining commercial accessibility with cultural prestige.

The initiative was unveiled by Margaret Ma Connolly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Informa Markets Asia; Dan Ye, Vice President of Informa Markets Asia; Roman Imgrüth, Chief Executive Officer of Exhibitions & Events at MCH Group; and Artur Faria, Creative Director of MCH Group.

Positioned around the themes of innovation, heritage and global connection, Basilia seeks to respond to shifts in the international jewellery and watch industry by offering a new platform designed for cross-continental business and discovery.

“We believe we are better together,” said Connolly, describing the partnership between Informa Markets and MCH Group as a combination of complementary strengths. “MCH Group has more than a century of experience creating iconic platforms from Basel for the world, while Informa Markets brings deep industry knowledge and the world’s most powerful jewellery network.”

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PressConference @Basilia

Informa Markets currently organises 15 jewellery and gemstone fairs across nine cities worldwide and maintains a global network spanning exhibitors, retailers, wholesalers, designers and suppliers. According to the organisers, the company connected more than 200,000 buyers with over 9,000 exhibitors last year and engaged with more than one million industry contacts worldwide.

For MCH Group, the launch of Basilia represents another chapter in Basel’s long history as an international meeting place for business, culture and innovation.

“Some cities host exhibitions, and then there are cities that help shape industries,” said Imgrüth. “Basel belongs to the second category. Innovation, quality, craftsmanship and international business have defined this city for centuries.”

The organisers emphasised that Basilia is not intended to replicate existing events but to occupy a distinct position within the market. Dan Ye described the fair as a curated European platform where buyers can discover products and suppliers from Asia, Europe and beyond.

“Basilia brings something truly different,” he said. “We are bridging the gap between aspirational brands and accessible business-to-business sourcing. This is a platform with purpose, mission and personality.”

Central to the fair’s identity is the idea of the city itself. The name Basilia derives from the ancient Roman name associated with Basel and reflects the organisers’ ambition to create an environment that functions more like an urban landscape than a conventional trade fair.

“We don’t want to think as a fair; we want to think like a city,” said Faria. “You don’t attend a city—you explore it. That’s our idea of access through discovery.”

The exhibition layout will be organised as an evolving “city under construction”, featuring neighbourhoods, avenues and districts intended to encourage exploration and encounters between different cultures, product categories and business communities. The organisers say the design concept reflects the diversity of the global jewellery and watch industry rather than imposing a standardised exhibition format.

Basilia’s inaugural edition is expected to have a stronger emphasis on jewellery exhibitors, though organisers anticipate increased participation from watchmakers over time. The fair is also designed to complement Switzerland’s existing watch calendar, with dates planned to overlap with the conclusion of professional activities at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, enabling international buyers already visiting Switzerland to continue their journey in Basel.

The launch of Basilia marks a significant new chapter for Basel’s exhibition landscape and signals renewed ambition for the city as an international meeting point for jewellery and watchmaking. By bringing together MCH Group’s experience in building world-class platforms and Informa Markets’ extensive global industry network, the organisers hope to establish a new destination for discovery, commerce and cultural exchange.

The first edition of Basilia – Jewellery and Watch Fair will take place in Basel in April 2027.