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Tucson, AZ— The Centurion Showcase, an on-line digital extension of the Centurion Jewelry Show, will be launched at Centurion 2011. The Showcase features up-to-date digital catalogs from many participating branded exhibitors, in addition to show and industry news for for the high-end of the fine jewelry marketplace. It is delivered through the OPT Central, LLC internet platform.

The Centurion Showcase provides a one-stop destination for Centurion retailers to view their brands' up-to-date digital catalogs 24/7/365, both during the Centurion Show and throughout the year. Retailers will be able to use these up-to-date digital catalogs both at the point of sale and to print product

pictures and details or send emails to their customers, enhancing their ability to sell their brands’ products. Branded manufacturers will be able to use the Centurion Showcase digital catalogs to show new product and provide ongoing support for their Centurion retailers.

The Centurion Showcase is exclusively available through a partnership between Centurion and the industry-leading OPT® B2B Platform, helping retailers around the world increase sales through better communication with their brands, and enhanced marketing support to customers.

Jewelry Industry Internet Forum Launches at Centurion

Separately, the Jewelry Industry Internet Forum (JIIF), a new educational initiative for the prestige level of the fine jewelry industry, also will officially launch at the Centurion show.

Sponsored by OPT Central LLC and Centurion, the JIIF initiative is geared to help ensure that retail jewelers, designers, manufacturers, and service providers in the high end of the market have the knowledge and tools to succeed in the fast-moving world of the Internet. The JIIF will enable the industry to learn and share best practices, information, insights and intelligence in online marketing and merchandising, including analytics, design, multi-channel integration and e-commerce.

As a forum for retail and manufacturing executives, JIIF will offer regular access to useful and targeted education and information sharing on a year-round basis. The effort will include at-show education as well as on-line forums and more, said John Erdman and Cory Kwiat, co-Presidents of OPT Central and Howard Hauben, president of Centurion. 

Special GOOGLE Keynote Session: For its first official event, JIIF will highlight a keynote presentation by Mike Gottfried, Google’s head of industry for retail & luxury, to give Centurion participants an insider’s view of what it takes to succeed in today’s ultra-competitive environment and how to truly take advantage of the Internet as a marketing vehicle.

Gottfried will headline separate sessions for retailers and designers/manufacturers at Centurion 2011, designed to focus on the specific issues that affect each in today’s marketplace. In addition to his presentations there will be a Q&A period.

Gottfried is a founder of Google's New York office, a senior member of the Google team, and has been a key driver of Google's business in the luxury goods/retail sector.

For further information on the Centurion Showcase or the Jewelry Industry Internet Forum, contact Howard Hauben, president of Centurion at hh@centurionjewelry.com or John Erdman, Co-President of OPT Central LLC at john.erdman@optcentral.com.