Examples on how trade show seminars and networking shaped key decisions behind his online auction businesses.

After 52 years in business, Wayne Sedawie shares how trade show seminars and networking shaped key decisions behind his online auction businesses.

GOLD COAST, QLD, AUSTRALIA, November 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After 52 years in business, the Gold Coast entrepreneur shares three experiences demonstrating how industry seminars and unexpected conversations can influence business strategy, customer protection and market opportunities.
Australian entrepreneur and investor Wayne Sedawie is urging business owners to look beyond exhibition stands, product deals and supplier negotiations at trade shows, arguing that some of the most valuable business opportunities come from listening to industry experts and recognising ideas others may overlook.

With more than 52 years of business experience, Sedawie has attended international trade shows throughout his career. He says three experiences in Las Vegas, Bangkok and Hong Kong demonstrate how industry seminars and conversations with other professionals can influence business decisions long after an event has finished.

His experiences include a conversation in Las Vegas that helped inspire the development of OpalAuctions, a Bangkok seminar that prompted changes to gemstone classifications on his online marketplace, and presentations in Hong Kong that influenced his thinking about the future of gemstone selling.

"After 52 years in business, I have learnt that some of the most expensive mistakes are made by business owners who stop learning," Sedawie said.

"Trade shows are not just places to buy and sell products. They bring together people with knowledge, experience and ideas that can change how you operate your business.

"You might arrive looking for a supplier and leave with an idea that changes your entire business direction. The challenge is to recognise those opportunities and act on them."

Las Vegas, 2002: The Conversation That Helped Inspire OpalAuctions

Approximately 24 years ago, Sedawie travelled to Las Vegas to attend a jewellery trade show. His original intention was to sell Australian opals and develop business relationships.

However, seminars discussing the emerging internet economy caught his attention.

Rather than concentrating exclusively on selling, he attended presentations about the possibilities of online commerce and spoke with people exploring how the internet could transform traditional industries.

He sold no opals during the show.

Instead, a conversation in a crowded Las Vegas coffee shop helped shape his thinking about the future.

A man sitting beside him asked about his business. When Sedawie explained that he worked with opals, the man suggested creating an online auction website specialising in them.

The conversation prompted Sedawie to consider an opportunity he had not originally travelled to Las Vegas to pursue.

That idea helped inspire the development of OpalAuctions, a specialist online marketplace that has since sold hundreds of thousands of opals to buyers around the world and is approaching the milestone of one million opals sold online.

Sedawie said the experience reinforced a lesson that has remained relevant throughout his career.

"I went to Las Vegas in 2002 to sell opals and sold none. I came home with an idea that helped build OpalAuctions.

"Sometimes the most valuable thing you take home from a trade show is not something you bought or sold. It is an idea that changes what you do next."

For Sedawie, the experience illustrates why business owners should make time for seminars, conversations and ideas outside their immediate commercial objectives.

Bangkok: A Seminar Prompted Changes to Gemstone Classifications

A second experience demonstrated how industry education can lead to practical improvements for customers.

Approximately four years ago, Sedawie attended a jewellery trade show in Bangkok where a seminar examined fissure-filled rubies.

The presentation explained how glass could be introduced into fractures within rubies, helping Sedawie better understand the distinction between the ruby material and the glass used to fill its fractures.

The information raised an important question: were buyers being given sufficiently clear distinctions between different types of ruby material?

Following the seminar, Sedawie reviewed how rubies were classified on his online marketplace and decided to separate composite rubies into their own category rather than grouping them with natural rubies.

The change was intended to help buyers understand what they were purchasing and make more informed decisions.

"This was not simply a matter of changing a website category," Sedawie said.

"It was about transparency. When you learn something that could affect your customers, you have to consider what action you should take.

"Business education is most valuable when you apply it. If new information shows you a way to improve your business or protect your customers, ignoring it is a missed opportunity."

The experience demonstrates how a seminar can influence decisions involving product descriptions, marketplace organisation and customer confidence.

Hong Kong: Industry Presentations Challenge Established Business Thinking

At the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair in September, Sedawie attended presentations examining challenges and opportunities in the international gemstone industry.

One presentation featured Andy Cody, former president of the International Coloured Gemstone Association, discussing issues facing the opal industry.

Other presentations, including sessions by Chinese industry speakers Ling Yin of Taotian Group and Shu Ta, who was identified at the event as a head of global jewellery industry operations, examined the development of live selling and changing consumer behaviour.

The discussions explored reported problems in parts of the live-selling market, including incomplete payments, product returns, lower-grade merchandise and the challenges associated with impulse-driven purchasing.

One presentation cited a payment-completion figure of only 28.5% in a live-selling context. Sedawie cautions that the figure should be understood within the scope of the particular example presented, rather than treated as a universal industry statistic.

For him, the broader business questions were more important than any single figure.

Were businesses concentrating too heavily on attracting viewers and generating sales activity without sufficiently considering completed transactions, product quality, returns and long-term customer relationships?

Were lengthy, entertainment-driven broadcasts always the most effective way to sell valuable gemstones?

And could specialist marketplaces create a better experience for buyers seeking distinctive products and reliable information?

"The important lesson was to question the business model rather than assume that what worked yesterday will continue working tomorrow," Sedawie said.

"Markets change, consumer expectations change, and businesses have to pay attention.

"Attracting attention is one thing. Building a sustainable business requires products people want, clear information, reliable systems and customers who trust you enough to return."

The presentations helped inform Sedawie's thinking about the direction of live auctions and the potential for greater emphasis on distinctive, higher-value gemstones.

High-Value Gemstones Demonstrate the Potential of Specialist Auctions

Sedawie points to sales by The Gem Portal, a seller operating on GemRockAuctions, as examples of the potential commercial value of distinctive gemstones in specialist online marketplaces.

Reported recent completed No resreve $1.00 auctions transactions include:

An 8.31-carat Paraíba tourmaline sold for $18,625.

A 36.69-carat Zultanite gemstone sold for $13,134.

A 31.16-carat indicolite tourmaline sold for $19,010.

The seller has also achieved substantial sales across other gemstone offerings, with reported average auction values approaching $300.

These individual transactions do not, by themselves, establish a wider market trend. However, they illustrate the potential for specialist online auctions to connect unusual gemstones with buyers prepared to compete for them.

Sedawie said the examples reinforced the importance of considering the quality, distinctiveness and appeal of merchandise rather than relying exclusively on sales volume.

"For a gemstone marketplace, it is important to understand what buyers value and why they are prepared to pay for a particular stone," he said.

"Businesses need to keep asking whether they are offering the right products, presenting them properly and creating a buying experience that gives customers confidence."

He believes the lessons from Hong Kong demonstrate the importance of monitoring industry developments and continually reassessing established business practices.

The Missed Opportunity: Learning From People Who Have Already Solved the Problem

Sedawie said his experiences also highlight the value of sharing knowledge between business owners.

At the Hong Kong show, a young woman approached him and asked how she could expand her business.

He suggested that she attend the seminars being held during the event, explaining that presentations by experienced industry professionals could help her identify opportunities and understand challenges.

He did not see her again and does not know whether she attended.

The encounter stayed with him because he believes business owners can overlook opportunities when they concentrate exclusively on immediate sales.

"Nobody has all the answers, regardless of how long they have been in business," Sedawie said.

"My experience is valuable, but I still need to learn. I attend seminars because I know there are people who understand things I do not, and their knowledge could help me make better decisions.

"You do not have to learn every lesson through an expensive mistake of your own. Sometimes another person has already identified the problem and can show you a better way forward."

Three Recommendations for Business Owners Attending Trade Shows

Based on more than five decades in business, Sedawie recommends that business owners take three practical steps when attending their next industry event.

1. Attend seminars with a purpose.

Research the programme before arriving. Identify presentations that could reveal emerging technologies, changes in consumer behaviour, industry risks or new commercial opportunities. Do not assume that spending every available hour on the exhibition floor will produce the best results.

2. Network beyond your immediate business objectives.

Speak to other attendees, suppliers, exhibitors and presenters. Conversations over coffee or while waiting to register can introduce you to people with different experience and perspectives. Ask questions and listen carefully rather than concentrating only on what you want to sell or buy.

3. Turn information into action.

After the event, review what you have learnt and identify practical changes worth considering. These might include improving product classifications, changing a marketing strategy, reviewing a selling method or investigating a new business opportunity.

Not every presentation will be relevant, and not every conversation will produce an immediate result. The value comes from recognising useful information and applying it where it can make a difference.

A Business Lesson Built Over 52 Years

Sedawie began his business career in his early twenties and has spent more than five decades navigating economic cycles, changing markets and technological developments.

His experience has reinforced the importance of remaining curious, questioning established practices and adapting when new information challenges existing assumptions.

He believes trade shows offer business owners access to knowledge that can be difficult to obtain through routine operations alone.

"After 52 years in business, I would never claim to know everything," Sedawie said.

"What I have learnt is that you need to keep looking, keep listening and keep questioning.

"Sometimes a seminar gives you information that helps you improve an existing business. Sometimes a conversation introduces you to an opportunity you had never considered. Sometimes you hear something that makes you realise you need to change direction.

"My advice is simple: do not just ask what you can buy or sell at your next trade show. Ask what you can learn.

"The most valuable thing you take home might be an idea that changes your business."

About Wayne Sedawie

Wayne Sedawie is an Australian entrepreneur and investor based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, with more than 52 years of business experience. He founded the Treasures Auctions network, which includes OpalAuctions and GemRockAuctions, specialist online marketplaces serving international gemstone and jewellery buyers and sellers. His business interests include online auctions, opals, coloured gemstones, coins and long-term business strategy.

wayne j sedawie
Treasureauctions
+61 418 151 227
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