VOICE Exhibition will be the first live event after months of restraint to offer a robust platform to stakeholders

“VOICE will be one big showroom where supply chain companies can present their new collections, latest design trends and most contemporary processing innovations.”

As the global jewellery industry eyes a restart amidst lockdown relaxations, Retail Jeweller India Magazine talks to Marco Carniello, Group Brand Director Jewellery & Fashion, Italian Exhibition Group, about how VOICE Exhibition will be the first live event after months of restraint to offer a robust platform to stakeholders.

Q.As the global jewellery industry is slowly coming to terms with the new normal in the COVID era, how can VOICE Exhibition act as a platform to help countries like India to revive their markets?

Ans: VOICE, in precedence of a trade show re-boot with Vicenzaoro in January 2021, will reunite the gold and jewellery sector to relaunch business and export activities around the world. It is set to be a live event after a long standstill and will boost the industry’s international re-start. The event has been put together by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), as organizer of Vicenzaoro – among other shows – with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency. For countries like India, VOICE will bring in a lot of positivity by offering a new lease of life to the jewellery sector. As most of the countries in the world, India’s jewellery sector has suffered major setback against the backdrop of global issues like surging gold and silver prices, and huge uncertainty across the retail landscape. There have been massive losses as shopping came to a standstill amidst the lockdown and there were no footfalls at jewellery stores despite the scheduled peak wedding season. Platforms like VOICE are slated to go a long way in helping the Indian jewellery industry look towards revival with lockdowns gradually easing and the market opening up.

Q. At a time when trade shows are undergoing a reboot, how will VOICE stand out this time to live up to its image as a show that gives a voice to the industry while adapting to the situation? Can you provide an outline of the new format of the show? 

Ans: With more than 350 exhibitors displaying in physical booths, VOICE will be also a summit where the community will discuss and deliberate over various topics with opinion leaders. This will be one of the first live events that the industry will witness after months of only getting to interact online. Set to usher in the industry’s global re-start, VOICE will be presented in a unique format with “phygital” — physical and digital — realities coming together.

VOICE will be one big showroom where supply chain companies will be able to present their new collections, latest design trends and most contemporary procedure and processing innovations. Outfitting will have a highly effective look and feel welcoming those buyers who are physically participating in the event while a Buyer Virtual Room will be set up for those who are unable to travel. Meetings will be scheduled by exhibitors and buyers through the I-MOP, IEG’s Meeting Omnichannel Platform. The event will offer participants the chance to experience and enjoy the spectacular artistic setting of Vicenza city with VIOFF, Vicenzaoro’s Off Show event titled “THE NEW GOLDEN WAY”. VOICE and VIOFF together will generate an exceptional combination of business and culture to attract traders from all over the world, now liberated from the lockdown, to the city and the Veneto region.

The whole event will take place guaranteeing full health protection of companies and visitors in compliance with IEG’s #SAFEBUSINESS project (https://www.iegexpo.it/it/safebusiness ), providing more than fifty guidelines, from the digitalization of tickets and payments, to temperature controls, to a sanitization route. IEG has furthermore chosen the GBAC STARTM program to reach the international standard of sanitation for the Vicenza exhibition center.

Q. How can VOICE empower the global jewellery community and allied industries in smaller and specific aspects like looking at jewellery design trends, insights to help create future trade and solve existing challenges, such as surging precious metals prices?

Ans: As a platform to showcase products, VOICE will also bring together trade contacts, stakeholders and institutions to pursue business opportunities and discuss the most critical topics. The summit will be a mix of education and insights to help create future trade and solve existing challenges. All events pertaining to VOICE will unfold in several areas of Vicenza Expo Centre through cutting-edge integration via the most sophisticated broadcasting systems that will ensure viewing across streaming platforms like YouTube, Instagram and FB all over the world.

Q. What are the key issues that are likely to be discussed and focused upon at this year’s VOICE?

Ans: VOICE will be a summit reuniting stakeholders from the international jewellery community who will discuss the state of the jewellery industry and the upcoming challenges. A host of themes will be covered including Sustainability, Trend & Design, Innovation & Technology and technical talks that will be amplified by the mainstream global trade media, bloggers and influencers in Made in Italy’s strategic markets.

Q.What does the name VOICE symbolize?

Ans: The name ‘VOICE’ identifies an event that, as it suggests, will give a voice to the jewellery world, acting as a trend inversion and economic reactivation point. IEG that has organized VOICE in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency, is innovating, organizing and acting with positivity and responsibility. And VOICE does the same, for companies and the entire sector and for the Made in Italy.

Q. Can you tell us about what kind of support you have received for VOICE in India?

Ans: VOICE has received some great support from leading Indian jewellery designers like Farah Ali Khan and many other protagonists of the Indian jewellery sector. As an important part of the Vicenzaro community India has always been close to Vicenza and since the beginning there has been a strong mutual support. On Monday 14^th , the Trendvision event will be live on the VOICE stage with its Creative Director Paola de Luca who has invited prominent attendees from India to join the talk: Narendra Kumar, Creative Director of Amazon India, Akash Das, Professor at ISDI, Mumbai – School of Fashion Design and designers Roshni & Rahul Jhaveri.

During this trying time, as events like VOICE are trying to boost the industry’s restart, we are glad to have received backing from such known names in the Indian market.

VOICE is scheduled to be held at the Vicenza’s Expo Centre from Saturday 12^th to 14^th September, 2020.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News Service.