Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Monday 27th April, 2015: Dubai’s standing as of one of the world’s leading luxury destinations and the undisputed jewellery capital of the Middle East and wider region has been significantly enhanced following a distinguished first edition of VICENZAORO Dubai, a new jewellery super show organised by DV Global Link - a joint-venture company between Fiera di Vicenza and the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
Running 23-26 April 2015 at DWTC, more than 6,000 local, regional and international visitors and major buyers from over 110 countries descended on the high-end jewellery sourcing platform, with leading international traders saying the event had opened a new chapter in the global jewellery sector.
A top-tier contingent of buyers from the UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, China, Russia, Jordan, Azerbijan, Kuwait, Algeria, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Thailand, Yemen, Australia, Qatar and Iraq, amongst others, flocked to the four-day showcase, as the inaugural event rubberstamped its pre-debut billing as the leading B2B jewellery platform for the Middle East, Africa, Central and South-east Asia, and Russia.
Attendees encountered a series of cutting-edge innovations throughout the entire global jewellery industry production chain, as more than 500 top brands from over 25 countries nations exhibited their latest collections and products across four clusters: Global Brands, Fine Jewellery & National Pavilions, Gemstones & Diamonds and Packaging & Supply.
Having provided the international jewellery community with a strategic sourcing hub in one of the world’s leading business and trade capitals, VICENZAORO Dubai won the favour of a wide cross-section of exhibitors, buyers, visitors, institutions and partners from across the international jewellery sector.
Established and emerging exhibitors from countries including the UAE, Italy, India, Turkey, Hong Kong, Belgium, Greece, Thailand, the USA, Spain, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Jordan and South Korea forged new business relationships with buyers from all around the world, while strong transactions between hundreds of international suppliers and buyers illustrated the event’s capacity to facilitate a strategic trade bridge to address regional demand and international supply.
VICENZAORO Dubai’s successful debut underlines the strategic collaboration between two of the world’s leading trade event organisers and managers in DWTC and Fiera di Vicenza. In addition, the new ‘Super Show’ justified support from high-level partners including Dubai Multi Commodity Centre (DMCC), a government organisation that promotes trade in the region; Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (DGJG), a non-profit association that supports Dubai’s status as the ‘City of Gold’ and a key global jewellery trading hub; and L’Azurde, a Saudi Arabian company and market leader in the distribution of jewellery across the MENA region.
“In-line with our expectations, the debut of VICENZAORO Dubai achieved very positive results,” said Corrado Facco, Vice Chairman of DV Global Link and Managing Director of Fiera di Vicenza. “Despite unfavourable economic circumstances and geopolitical contexts in notable major markets for the global jewellery industry, the success of the inaugural event has strengthened our resolve to continue expanding the show over the next few years – especially in tactical capacity areas such as high-end consumption and luxury product absorption. This super show is a strategic operation for both Fiera di Vicenza and the international jewellery industry – the Dubai event has the capacity to connect global suppliers with emerging customers in the Far East and Africa. We hope this first edition represents the prologue of a great success story, one where DV Global Link builds its standing as a global player and VICENZAORO Dubai establishes a position as one of the world’s top five events for the international B2B jewellery and goldsmith sectors by 2020.
A packed calendar of events, seminars, business meetings and exclusive social events unfolded under the guise of the four-day exhibition, which covered more than 12,000 square metres of exhibition space and was formally opened by His Highness Sheikh Hasher Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General of the Dubai Department of Information, in the presence of top management of Fiera di Vicenza, DWTC and DV Global Link.
Among the most significant VICENZAORO Dubai events was “The Italian Beauty” exhibition, organised by VICENZAORO Dubai and the ICE (Italian Trade Promotion Agency), which featured beautifully designed and ornately made contemporary Italian jewellery and was attended by the Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Giorgio Starace. Featuring over 30 necklaces made by prestigious Italian companies, the exhibition was inspired by the 'Beauty Room' - one of the main halls in the Jewellery Museum in Vicenza, Italy – and was curated by Alba Cappellieri, a jewellery design professor at Milan Polytechnic and one of Italy's top experts in the jewellery field.
Also noteworthy were the “World Diamond Mark Fashion Show”, a parade dedicated to diamonds that saw the participation of the some exhibiting companies, and the event “India Evening”, organised by the Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in which Indian exhibitors met international buyers and guests.
Space was likewise dedicated to new trends in the jewellery sector, thanks to TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting, the first and only independent observatory in global forecasting created by Fiera di Vicenza, which organised the seminar “Product Directions Update 2015-2016” and presented the new 2016 consumer profile. Also in the Trend Area were expressions of the main trends of the goldsmith and jewellery sectors, as identified by the observatory.
The extensive programme of seminars included: "Diamonds - Are they Forever?" held by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), “Synthetic and treated Diamonds” organised by SGL (Solitaire Gemological Laboratories), and two events offered by DMCC: “Accessing cost effective financing for Jewellery Industry”and “Ensuring accessibility to global jewellery markets”. The calendar also included two seminars dedicated to diamond processing, curated by the IGI (International Gemological Institute).