Vicenzaoro Highlights, September 2026: It Is Time to Take Stock

IEG and Volkwin Marg have a long collaboration story. As early as 2000, the German architect and co-founder of Studio GMP Architekten, who also designed the exhibition centers in Leipzig, Hanover and Düsseldorf, as well as stadiums in Brazil, Berlin and Cape Town, had designed the new Rimini Expo Center, Italian Exhibition Group’s headquarters. The building boasts laminated wood roofs, internal water features and a strong sense of integration with the surrounding landscape. For Vicenza, the primary aim of the restyling was to breathe new life into what had been the exhibition area’s historic core: the famous “snail shell”, built in the 1970s. Over time, it had become an icon of the sector’s development but more recently, it came to symbolize the need for a change of pace, a shift toward new services to support a business that had grown exponentially in both scale and quality. Now that the promise made two and a half years ago has been fulfilled, and the “heart transplant”, as architect Marg himself described it, has been successful, it is clear just how bold a decision it was and how undertaking it was very far from a foregone conclusion, especially in the post-pandemic years and with the ensuing serious geopolitical crises. As we reach the end of this edition, which marks the beginning of a new era for Vicenzaoro, it is time to take stock. Anyone who, over the past few days, visited the renovated Hall 2 and the T.Gold community exhibition areas for technologies, machinery and innovations applied to jewelry production, could sense the satisfaction of the more than 170 participating companies, which, now in Hall 4, have finally been integrated into the rest of the show. This important and long-awaited step is now a tangible result of IEG’s ongoing strategy to support the industry. Then again, international demand continues to confirm the central role of Italian jewelry in global markets. Despite global tensions, the Italian gold and jewelry sector maintains a strong focus on exports with the United States, the Middle East and major European markets still among the key growth drivers. This trend was also evident on the show floor, which was sold out with 1,300 exhibiting brands from 40 countries and an increasingly high-caliber international visitor turnout, confirming Vicenzaoro’s ability to interpret and anticipate the needs of the global supply chain. The well-established partnership with the Italian Trade Agency also brought 910 qualified buyers from 73 countries across all continents, representing a 33% increase compared to the September 2025 edition. The desire to maintain leadership in the sector, expressed by President Maurizio Ermeti on the very first day, has thus been fulfilled, and this can only provide excellent foundations on which to build and do even better in the future. It is only fitting to conclude with the words of good wishes from the architect who designed this venue, Marg: “Now the new heart is beating for the jewelry industry’s magnificent future.”