VOICE lent a glittering shine to global jewellery industry

Advantage for Indian jewellery as VOICE came at a time when lockdowns have eased and market is eyeing revival after months of losses due to pandemic

The COVID 19 pandemic affected most industries across the globe and the jewellery industry was no exception. In countries like India, with weddings and big events getting cancelled, it suffered a major setback.

As lockdowns eased gradually and the industry started eyeing revival, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), as organizer of Vicenzaoro – among other shows – announced an extraordinary event titled VOICE that was held at the Vicenza Expo Centre from Saturday 12th to 14th September.

VOICE, that preceded a trade show re-boot with Vicenzaoro in January 2021, aimed to bring together the gold and jewellery sector to relaunch businesses and export activities around the world. The event was curated by IEG in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency and specifically focused on innovating, organizing and acting responsibly. More importantly, given the situation, the event took place with full health protection of companies and visitors in compliance with IEG’s #SAFEBUSINESS project (https://www.iegexpo.it/it/safebusiness), that has provided over 50 guidelines. These include digitalization of tickets and payments, temperature controls, sanitization route etc. IEG also chose the GBAC STARTM program to reach the international standard of sanitation for the Vicenza exhibition center. VOICE was specially presented in a unique format with “phygital” — physical and virtual — realities coming together as it set out to usher the industry’s global re-start.

The event drew to a close with 370 exhibitors who were content about the business generated through the first-ever hybrid trade show experience. The novel ideas at this year’s VOICE have strengthened IEG’s shows even further encouraging the concepts of re-think, innovate and collaborate to overcome uncertainties while looking to the future with optimism.

Italy is famous for its handcrafted jewellery that boasts of the “Made in Italy” hallmark and stands testimony for excellence in jewellery craftsmanship. Italy is also an international centre for design, fashion and style and Italian-made jewels are in high demand across the world. The country is a frontrunner too in manufacturing technology for jewellery. An event that came from this rich and diverse heritage promised to be momentous.

For countries like India, VOICE was even more important as an event that instilled a new lease of life in its jewellery business in the background of global issues like surging gold and silver prices, and huge uncertainty across the retail landscape. The jewellery industry in the country suffered enormous damage since mass shopping came to a halt with no footfalls witnessed despite the scheduled peak wedding season.

Besides, there were other challenges too in the form of customs duties and fall in exports. The sudden rise in pricing led to drop-in sales in the past few months and the pandemic meant bigger losses given that all retail stores were shut during the lockdown. The world’s second biggest gold consumer saw demand plummeting as it witnessed the slowest pace of growth in the last decade.

In this situation, platforms like VOICE showed a ray of hope to help the Indian jewellery industry move towards revitalization as lockdowns started easing gradually and markets opened up.

‘VOICE’ lent a voice to the Indian and international jewellery world, becoming a trend inversion and economic reactivation point. The event included 100 authoritative speakers, over 600 business matching meetings organized by IEG – a third of which were on-line— and an entire programme of events including seminars, conferences and talk shows, produced using film-making techniques that enthralled the international public. There were highly efficient ‘virtual buyers’ rooms’ where 200 trade deals were closed, along with a huge dissemination of the hall contents which clocked up over 3 and a half million viewings on digital channels.

Over the three days, VOICE was a platform where thought leaders from the international jewellery community Jerome Favier, Vice President and CEO for Gruppo Damiani, Stephen Lussier, CEO for Forevermark at De Beers, Edward Asscher, President of the World Diamond Council, Gaetano Cavalieri, President of Cibjo etc. All national category associations were fully represented including CNA Orafi Nazionale, Confartigianato Orafi, Confimi Industria Categoria Orafa ed Argentiera, Confindustria Federorafi, Federpreziosi Confcommercio, Assocoral and AFEMO – Italian Association of Jewellery Machinery Manufacturers and Exporters and IGI – Italian Gemmological Institute and jewellery companies, including Bulgari and Pomellato, discussed and deliberated upon various topics including state of the industry and the upcoming challenges. All these associations together, outlined and presented the sector’s needs and expectations to the government which were accepted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio via a video feed.

Jewellery brands and designers also presented their new collections, latest design trends and most contemporary procedures and processing innovations. A stylish yet functional outfitting context welcomed buyers who were physically participating in the event while a Buyer Virtual Room was set up for virtual participants who found it difficult to travel to Italy.

Putting forth his thoughts, Marco Carniello, Group Brand Director Jewellery & Fashion, Italian Exhibition Group said that the event helped augment businesses across the world that are gradually picking up and are looking for revival. He said, “After months of going without live events, VOICE has offered an invigorating platform which was a combination of live and digital. It aimed to provide a voice to stakeholders from the global jewellery industry to present their new collections, latest design trends and contemporary processing innovations. It was an exciting time to see the international jewellery industry converging together after long.”

Indian designer Farah Ali Khan who supported the event echoed similar thoughts. “Italy is known for handcrafting jewellery of distinctive beauty. Its celebrated designs, that embody the country’s rich traditions while stirring a deep sense of connection, are what makes its famed pieces so exquisite. I am so excited to be associated with VOICE which will be the first live event after so many months to give a platform to the global jewellery industry.”

VOICE showcased an array of exquisite products, with trade contacts readily provided to stakeholders to pursue business opportunities. The summit was a mix of education and insights that aimed to boost future trade and resolve current challenges.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News Service.