Francesco Santa: The Success of New Show Formats

«Launching new trade show formats in 2022 might seem like a gamble, given the international economic situation and the two difficult years that have just gone by, but IEG has not stopped. On the contrary. The debut last February of Jewellery Gem & Technology Dubai opened the year with enormous positivity, registering important numbers for what was, to all intents and purposes, the first international B2B jewelry event: 300 exhibitors from 23 countries interacted with an audience of buyers, 46.2% of whom came from abroad, from over 100 countries, in fact. A success that finds its reasons in two fundamental factors: the close collaboration between two quality global event organizers - IEG and Informa Markets - and the direct support of local stakeholders such as the Government of Dubai, the DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) and the DGJG (Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group). Sharing strategies has led all the forces into the field to exceed initial expectations and, therefore, to look forward to future projects that are set to take concrete shape as early as 2023. Two further and not insignificant elements could also be added to these rosy prospects: for well-known reasons, the 2022 edition saw the almost total absence of public and companies from Eastern Europe and the Far East and a limited participation of exhibitors from the African continent, an area with immense untapped potential. The growth margins for JGT Dubai are therefore more than significant. All this is part of what has now become known as IEG’s “4x4 strategy”: the four most important formats in at least 4 countries around the world. Vicenzaoro, together with Ecomondo, Sigep and Rimini Wellness, after consolidating its role as Europe’s most important event in the jewelry segment, is increasingly looking beyond its borders, focusing on Asia and the USA, its two natural landing places. It is undeniable that Asia, with its 600 million inhabitants and extremely young economies, the harbingers of big spenders, is becoming the object of desire for many trade show organizers, and our collaboration with Informa Markets, already a leader in the jewelry sector as the promoter of the Hong Kong fair, stems from this. Each of our “big four” requires us to find the most suitable partner: for Sigep, for example, we have just signed an important agreement with Anuga in Cologne, one of the world’s top food events. With their support, in April 2023 we will be organizing the first edition of Sigep China in Shenzhen, while areas such as North and South America and Southeast Asia are being studied. Rimini Fitness, on the other hand, is a consolidated reality both in Brazil and Dubai, where we have already held 6 and 5 editions respectively, and it is emerging in Mexico, where it will be held for the second time in December. Also in Mexico, Ecomondo will be making its debut in July in collaboration with Hanover-based Deutsche Messe. While in September we will bring Ecomondo’s expertise back to Chengdu with CDEPE, the largest green technologies fair in western China.»