The Show of Records

The opening ceremony of Vicenzaoro September 2022 could not go without making a brief homage to The Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, remembered in several moments for her elegance and her passion for the finest jewelry. On stage, in the role of "master of the house", Marco Carniello, Global Exhibition Director of Italian Exhibition Group's Jewellery&Fashion division, immediately relaunched the most significant figures recorded by IEG - over a thousand exhibitors from more than 70 countries - and the market - +36.5% in exports in the first 5 months of 2022 – offering IEG President, Lorenzo Cagnoni, the perfect link to take the stage. He was tasked with emphasizing how “without fear of contradiction, Vicenzaoro has now become the reference point for the sector, in the calendar of trade shows as well as for the individual Made in Italy districts." This, of course, includes all the players along the supply chain, as well as the vintage watchmaking asset which has joined the last three editions. The President also highlighted how, after two years defined as deadly from an economic point of view, the trade show giant had managed to put into play a series of actions aimed at supporting the entire sector at a time of obvious difficulty, while also facilitating growth in international accreditation. This latter operation, mainly due to a major investment plan, last February led to the first edition of JGT Dubai, a new format designed specifically for the Emirates and Far East markets. This was followed by greetings from two government representatives, Erika Stefani, Minister for Disabilities, and Elena Bonetti, Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, who emphasized the strength and responsiveness of the country's system, which once again managed to impose its leadership with numbers that have taken it back to the pre-Covid era. “Behind this almost resounding result, which goes against all expectations, there is the immense effort on the part of large and small companies, animated by creativity, a desire to work and the hope of keeping the reputation of the beauty that Italy knows how to express, high,” said Bonetti. Erika Stefani remarked that the world of disabilities is in great need of relations and co-participation between the public and private sectors, a path that IEG has been fervently pursuing for years now. Entrepreneurial courage was also dealt with by the mayor of Vicenza, Francesco Rucco, who, first and foremost, vigorously thanked IEG and all the operators who once again organized a trade show capable of acting as an extraordinary sounding board for the knowhow that makes the Vicenza district an engine of the national economy. “The courage of IEG and of all the operators made sure that this event, which has become central at an international level, never stopped. We will work to make this fair grow, keep it alive ”. Also with VIOFF, the Fuori Fiera endorsed by the Municipality, which contributes to promoting the city and international tourism. The same pride and spirit of resilience was expressed by Maria Cristina Franco, Vice President of the Province of Vicenza, and Roberto Marcato, Veneto Regional Councilor for Economic Development and Energy. In particular, the latter brought to attention a fact that is perhaps little known to most, but of fundamental importance in order to fully understand the Veneto Region’s entrepreneurial reality: 70% of local companies have fewer than 10 employees, which makes it a globally unique case in the world, not only in Italy. The Vice President of the Province, on the other hand, mentioned the ongoing project to create new stimuli and make the gold jewelry sector more attractive to future generations. A mission shared and carried out in collaboration with all the national category associations, on whose behalf Claudia Piaserico, President of Confindustria Federorafi, spoke yesterday. Her speech can be summarized as follows: “We said goodbye in March with moderate optimism, curbed by the conflict that had just broken out at that time, and now we find ourselves with some changes of direction on the international scene. After five exciting months, we can say that the districts of Vicenza, Valenza and Arezzo have grown at the same rate, and that the Vicenza district in particular, is at the top of the US market and the Arezzo district leads in the UAE. Valenza has always been more in line with targets such as France and Ireland, which are hubs for top Italian jewelry brands. In short, a positive picture despite everything. It should be noted, however, that we are at the dawn of a season that will be made difficult due to the cost of energy and gas: recent research carried out in the Arezzo district has, in fact, calculated that, in the first 7 months of this year, there has been a +485% increase in energy prices and +400% increase in gas, with a consequent and proportional impact on the competitiveness of our companies. Having said that, we must look at a figure that the whole world envies: 89.5% of the goods produced in our country are destined for export, a factor that is also due to the numerous initiatives activated in collaboration with ITA, Italian Trade Agency."And to this regard, here is what Roberto Luongo, Director General of ITA, had to say yesterday as the opening drew to a close: "Behind this kind of event there are about 30,000 employees and 6,000 companies. In 2021, we achieved an extraordinary result in Made in Italy exports: 516 billion euros, up 20% on 2020, and 7% compared to the record year, 2019. That is equivalent to 32% of the country's wealth. And as far as jewelry is concerned, 90% of the turnover is destined to travel the world. During these days, ITA is here in Vicenza with Fabrizio Giustarini, trade analyst and manager of our USA office. He is at your disposal and I would invite you to contact him in order to understand tomorrow’s strategies because that is how we can begin to lay the foundations for tomorrow's success.”