Vicenzaoro Highlights, September 2023: A Bright Future

During these five days of the show, while exhibitors and visitors have fueled and given substance to the best September edition of Vicenzaoro - with more than 1,200 companies from 34 countries and over 400 guest buyers from all over the world -, Italian and foreign media have been following events here in Vicenza with an attentive eye. The reason for so much interest lies in the sector’s exponential growth, mentioned on numerous occasions, with unprecedently brilliant turnover and exports, which, after the post-pandemic exploit, have now settled into a constantly upward trend that is beginning to feel extraordinarily normal. The three key words - dynamism, enthusiasm and willingness - that we have often heard echoed in the exhibition halls, are therefore justified. The schedule of events at the Boutique Show inevitably followed this “positive flow” with a full line-up of personalities from the industry, including institutions, experts, influencers and entrepreneurs, who each brought their own piece of past history and vision of a future that is already just around the corner. Exhibitor and visitor dialogue, debate and networking are at the basis of what has allowed Vicenzaoro to gradually become one of the world’s three major jewelry events along a cursus honorum which will be celebrating its “first” 70 years next year, and that is now at the heart of the so-called “4x4” policy developed by Corrado Peraboni, Italian Exhibition Group’s CEO. Together with a team of professionals, nurtured for decades by the enlightened thinking of President Lorenzo Cagnoni, who passed away last week. Thanks to this policy, the four most important events organized by IEG - Rimini Wellness, Ecomondo, Sigep and Vicenzaoro - are also proving to be successful formats abroad, as demonstrated by Dubai JGT and SIJE - Singapore International Jewelry Expo, stimulating curiosity and acting as a lure for potential new exhibitors “at home”. The large delegations of buyers and visitors from Arab countries and the Far East in attendance during the show are not only an example but also a tangible sign of a machine that never stops: JGTD 2024 (6th – 8th February) can already count on about 400 brands from 25 countries, 10% more than the previous edition, while SIJE (12th – 14th July) will see the launch of the first Singapore Jewellery Design Award. And speaking of the Emirates, it is no coincidence that Vicenzaoro hosted the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Trade Awards. An event much-appreciated by Tawhid Abdullah, Chairman of the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group and the Jawahara Group, who defined the Boutique Show as the "Harvard of jewelry”. In this continuous desire to keep up with the times, IEG could not ignore that rarefied but increasingly connected world that goes by the name of digitalization, especially if dedicated to, and in support of, the new generations to be included at various levels in the sector. Confindustria Federorafi’s initiative in collaboration with Skuola.net and IEG to promote the goldsmith culture among young people continue in this sense. The second V-Log is now online collecting the witness accounts at Vicenzaoro of the new generations within the sector’s manufacturing companies. A tool that speaks to GenZ and enriches the portal that already features a national mapping of schools with a goldsmith vocation and the possibility to cross-reference the curriculum vitaes of young people with company demand. From 2nd to 7th October, Digital Jewelry Week will also be online. A digital showcase for 30 aspiring goldsmiths under 30 years of age involved in a contest with attendance at Vicenzaoro January 2024 at stake. Activities that will hopefully inject new lifeblood into a sector that is in needs of it, indispensable at the workbench but also in terms of approach and mindset.