Vicenzaoro Highlights, September 2024: On the New Trajectory

The Expo Center in restyling and without the “pyramid”. But what will it be like? A question that has surely crossed all our minds in the build-up to the show, and now...here we are! Today sees the opening of Vicenzaoro September 2024, which, after last January's extraordinary edition, once again characterized by record-breaking numbers, is the subject of an authentic remise en forme in terms of space, services and technology. From now to the early months of 2026, a new, 22,000-square-meter hall will be completed to replace the historical “pyramid”, the Center’s main body we were all so familiar with (halls 2 and 5). But there is nothing to fear: in this transitional phase of work-in-progress everything will carry on just as before, starting from the number of exhibitors - over 1,200 companies from 35 countries – with only a few minor “nav-igation” adaptations put in place (see QR code on the last page). Italian Exhibition Group's decision to undertake the work coincided with the 70th anniversary of the event, which has recently grown so much in numbers and importance as to require the beginning of a new chapter and an adaptation to the needs of an event that has rightfully become one of the world’s top three jewelry shows and number one in Europe. This will therefore be the starting point of today’s opening ceremony, scheduled for 11.30 am in the Palladio Theatre - with the authorities in attendance. After greetings from IEG President Maurizio Ermeti, the Mayor of Vicenza Giacomo Possamai, and the President of the Province of Vicenza, Andrea Nardin, speeches will be given by Claudia Piaserico, President of Federorafi, Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region, and Matteo Zoppas, President of ITA - the Agency for the Promotion and Internationalization of Italian Companies abroad, Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director General for the Promotion of the Nation System and Central Director for Economic Internationalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - who will launch a packed and varied calendar of events that will, as always, enrich the trade show experience with interesting in-depth content. The program already kicked off today with CIBJO’s educational seminar and social event dedicated to precious metals and jewelry, in collaboration with the International Precious Metals Institute. Everan extraordinary collector of leading international industry experts at the service of the public to explore topics such as traceability, sustainability and raw material sourcing, CIBJO opened the works this morning with its “Responsible sourcing and vocabulary” meeting in the Educational Hub and will continue on Sunday with a full immersion in the Palladio Theatre. At 3 pm this afternoon in the Educational Hub, “Demand, technology and sustainability: the expectations of Italian jewelry companies in the current geopolitical context”, organized in collaboration with Club degli Orafi. 
Saturday will see some of IEG's usual partners taking the stage, including Assogemme and Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting, with talks focusing on what lies ahead in terms of creative trends. As for the exhibition itself, a reminder that, as always, the September edition also means VO' Clock Privé, the BtoC area specifically for watchmaking, with established brands, independent creators and avant-garde watchmakers, which will welcome professionals and enthusiasts in the Privé for a three-day continuum of meetings, talks and courses held by renowned experts. At the same time, in Time's BtoB exhibition area,visitors will be able to personally touch the latest innovations from around forty contemporary watch brands and see the newest entries from the entire supply chain, from components to accessories. What will be happening in the city between now and next Tuesday is also worth mentioning: as usual, Vicenza’s city center will come to life with VIOFF, the Vicenza Off Show event, with the twelfth edition entitled “Golden Future”.
The currently ongoing exhibition at the Jewelry Museum (until 8th December) is also included. In addition to the permanent collection of jewelry, visitors will also be able to admire the ceramic creations belonging to Fiera di Vicenza, now Italian Exhibition Group, which take us back to the very beginnings of the trade show that has accompanied us for 70 years and those early days when the show also included ceramic manufacturing, another top sector in the territory’s tradition. A return to the past to be looked at in the awareness of the goals achieved and the desire to build new ones for a global jewelry supply chain that is worth 725 billion euro (806 billion USD) and is estimated to grow by an average of 5% per year between now and 2030.