With 810,000 square feet of exhibition space, up 15 percent from last year, the 2024 edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva promises to be the fair’s biggest edition yet, according to Matthieu Humair, chief executive officer of the Watches and Wonders Foundation.
He said fair organizers were “very positive” ahead of the upcoming edition, which runs from April 9 to 13 in Geneva.
“What was interesting last year and the trend we can see for 2024 is that the younger and following generations were present,” he told WWD ahead of the fair. “We had an average age of 35 for people buying the tickets for the public days, and 25 percent of the tickets were purchased by the under-25.”
Now in its second fully physical edition after the pandemic, Humair said organizers had learned from previous editions and from the criticism leveled against the fair’s predecessors, Baselworld and SIHH.
“We made sure not to grow too fast in order to keep a very high level of service,” he said, adding that centralizing and coordinating with stakeholders, such as hospitality players, has contributed to a more streamlined operation.
For independent labels, the price per square meter (just over 10 square feet) is 1,800 Swiss francs, down from around 2,650 Swiss francs in 2018. “That means that for approximately 40,000 Swiss francs, those independent maisons can access the retailers and journalists of the entire world,” he said.
By comparison, larger brands pay between 1,900 and 2,100 Swiss francs a square meter. Fair organizers have also created a second entrance that will lead directly to the independent brands on the floor.
He’s also happy that watchmakers not taking part in the fair are still making a contribution by organizing their own events in town throughout the week.
“As long as we [can all] talk about watchmaking, we are very happy with that,” said Humair. “We can really live together because there’s room for everyone.”
Watches and Wonders 2024 in numbers:
810,000 square feet
One new hall
Two entrances
54 exhibiting brands, including seven newcomers and one returning label
Three public days
43,000 visitors in 2023
12,000 tickets sold for the public days
700 million estimated reach via social media
