Vicenzaoro Highlights, September 2023: Always a Little More

The Opening Ceremony of Vicenzaoro September, held yesterday afternoon in the Palladio Theater, and presented by Marco Carniello, Global Exhibition Directory Jewellery & Fashion of Italian Exhibition Group, kicked off with a fitting tribute to President Lorenzo Cagnoni from Corrado Peraboni, CEO of IEG, who invited all those present to a minute's silence in memory of an entrepreneur of great ability and intuition, but above all, a person «who loved doing more than talking. Over the past few days, we have sensed how the Vicenzaoro community has closed in around a man who was able to create the many excellences that IEG represents in the world today. As always, at the beginning of a trade show event, one always wonders what kind of edition it will be. An obvious question, but not in the case of our Boutique Show, whose format is so effective that we always try to introduce some new element without ever upsetting the winning formula. In short, we guarantee one thing: you will find what you have always found but always with a little more.» The other guests then took the floor, first and foremost the new mayor of Vicenza, Giacomo Possamai. «Let me remind you that the vision of merging the two trade show organizers, Rimini and Vicenza, was Cagnoni's, who spoke of it as a window on the world. An idea with immense potential, which has now become an important part of our city. I would like to really thank IEG for its constant commitment, which has made us more and more aware of what Vicenza represents in the world of business and culture.» In this regard, Andrea Nardin, President of the Province of Vicenza, reiterated how much the jewelry show has always left its mark on the city and the entire territory, becoming an important vehicle for its beauty, and it is no coincidence that it is already a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The round of institutional greetings was closed by Roberto Marcato, Veneto Regional Councilor for Economic Development, who mentioned Veneto's «rabid ability to react to critical issues,» referring to the 2008 economic crisis and, of course, the post-pandemic period, as well as a factor indicative of the quality produced by local companies, two-thirds of which are registered in the Trademark Register. There then followed a talk that, thanks to the two speakers - Claudia Piaserico, President of Confindustria Federorafi, and Matteo Zoppas, newly appointed President of ITA – Italian Trade Agency - touched on some focal data and issues for the economy of a country like Italy that derives a large slice of its GDP from creativity. Piaserico proudly expounded on what the entire jewelry sector has been able to achieve in these first five months of the year, reporting what the Confindustria Moda’s Study Center has compiled for Federorafi, including a handsome 9.3% increase in foreign sales for a total value of 4.36 billion euros. President Zoppas, on the other hand, referred to ITA's commitment to leveraging as much as possible on Made in Italy exports and the extraordinary weight that jewelry has as a whole. «The numbers of your sector are something incredible. In 2022, jewelry touched 88 billion in sales with 8% of total national exports, and on average, out of 10 billion in sales produced by the sector, 9.7 go abroad.» ITA’s presence is now a constant at Vicenzaoro: the mutual cooperation between the parties, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has in fact boosted the number of hosted foreign buyers who, at this edition of the Vicenza Boutique Show, are more than 400 from every continent.