Cooperation between the MCH Group and Informa: What the success of the «Basilia» depends on

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The new Basilia trade fair, announced on June 18th by the MCH Group in partnership with Informa Markets PLC, with its evocative name, is not an attempt to resurrect the defunct, world-famous Baselworld watch fair. It is conceived entirely differently, and the major watch brands are unlikely to return to Basel from Watches & Wonders in Geneva.

By Urs Seiler || June 22, 2026

Hall 2 of Messe Basel: Venue of Basilia

It is striking that the Basilia Jewellery & Watch Fair focuses primarily on jewelry, not watches, even though it is scheduled for April – similar to the former Baselworld – to allow international visitors to attend both events. Thenews about the planned fair also points out that partner Informa has the world's leading business-to-business network and already operates a renowned industry event, Jewellery and Gem WORLD, in Hong Kong.

The MCH Group also emphasized the sourcing aspect of Basilia, meaning the integration of the jewelry and watchmaking supply industry. This likely refers to an area that the MCH Group had already conceived and begun to pursue, but ultimately decided that a supplier trade fair alone would be too small for Basel.

Basilia aims to bridge the gap between production centers in Asia (Informa's customers?) and sales markets in Europe, with a planned 400 exhibitors from the jewelry, diamonds & gemstones, watch, technology, and supplier industries, as well as trade, distribution, and procurement. What distinguishes Basilia from the former Baselworld is the convergence of both the brands themselves and their suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers. It follows a spatial concept in which the individual exhibitor areas are represented as "cities."

Who is responsible?

The elaborately constructed Hall 1 of the Basel Exhibition Center

Basilia is being announced as a joint venture, or rather a joint initiative, between MCH Group and Informa Markets, the world's largest trade fair organizer by revenue (2025 revenue approximately £4.04 billion = €4.65 billion!). Both companies will act as both organizers and operators. It has not yet been announced who will be responsible for the crucial task of exhibitor acquisition and who for visitor acquisition. Will MCH Group leave the acquisition to Informa? Or will it act solely as a hall provider in addition to its co-ownership?

Anyone who remembers the famous Baselworld knows that Hall 1 was renovated for it at a cost of hundreds of millions of Swiss francs by the renowned Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron. Therefore, it's somewhat surprising that this hall is now unused and that Basilia is to take place in the historic, but somewhat dated, Hall 2. Does it better suit the Basilia concept with its areas designed as a "city"? Does the traditional building better fit the evocative name "Basilia," a historical name dating back to the 3rd century for the city of Basel? It remains to be seen to what extent such connotations will contribute to Basilia's branding.

How can Basilia be a success?

Industry expert and service provider for trade fair organizers such as the MCH Group, Oliver Schmidt, says in his LinkedIn blog, "The fact that Basel has recovered from this (the loss of the iconic Baselworld) (...) is a step that deserves respect."

Basilia is scheduled to take place for the first time in April 2027. Its success will depend to a considerable extent on the extent to which it is possible to win over the supplier industry as exhibitor ambassadors, and these would then include, in addition to Switzerland as shown in the news, also the production centers in Asia .

Success will also depend on whether, as planned, an international ecosystem of the aforementioned industries can actually be brought to Basel. And a large proportion of exhibitors and visitors would have to come from abroad; Switzerland alone is too small, which is why the MCH Group never realized a long-planned trade fair exclusively for the supplier industry.

Basilia is likely to represent a kind of test for the MCH Group. If it succeeds in creating a modern, relevant and economically viable format, Basilia could open a new chapter in the MCH Group's reputation.

Major brands left Baselworld due to high costs and the MCH Group's lack of flexibility. Many customers still remember these conflicts. But perhaps the prestigious Informa trade fair can bring about a fresh start, a turnaround. And strengthen the MCH Group's long-standing international focus – especially with such an event in Basel itself .