The Israeli Diamond Industry’s annual press lunch at BaselWorld revealed the industry’s new strategic campaign for 2011. Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI) Managing Director Eli Avidar introduced the new campaign “Welcome to Israel”, which he said would be the theme for all marketing efforts in Israel and abroad.
The lunch took place at the Basel Convention Center, as in previous years it was attended by dozens of journalists representing major trade and general media.
|
| Reuven Kuvent |
The guest speaker was Reuven Kuvent, outgoing CEO of Dun & Bradstreet Israel, who spoke about the accelerated growth of Asian economies, especially China and India, and its impact on consumer demand and the diamond industry. Kuvent said, “By 2030 the Chinese economy will be the largest in the world, the U.S. will be second and India will have the third largest economy.” Although the U.S. might seem to be less attractive now due to poor economic performance, he called on the industry to cultivate each of these markets for the future.
|
| Eli Avidar |
IDI Managing Director Eli Avidar said that the Israeli Diamond Industry had weathered the economic crisis and has come out strengthened. He said that most of Israel’s leading diamond companies saw their exports increase by over 50% in 2010, and that they were on their way to reaching pre-crisis export levels.
Avidar also explained the 2011 marketing campaign “Welcome to Israel”. “We want to welcome you to Israel, whether you are in Basel, at other diamond and jewelry shows, online, or actually visiting Israel, where you are all most welcome of course.” He said that during the year IDI would be opening a new office in the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai, would be expanding its participation in trade shows, especially in India and Hong Kong, and would be working toward establishing a rough diamond sourcing group in Israel.
Avidar also launched a new iPhone application for the diamond industry. The app, which works on iPads as well, was developed by the IDI portal and offers a wealth of up-to-date news and information, and also allows users to conduct business from anywhere in the world.
The free app offers real-time updates of diamond needs and enables users to respond instantly. Companies can easily upload their diamond requirements via the Israel Diamond Institute portal, and dealers wishing to supply those diamonds can contact the relevant company via the application.
The iPhone application also features a directory of Israeli diamond companies, banks and gemological labs, which can be contacted directly from the iPhone.
|
| The Israel Diamond Exchange Trading Floor |
“The only way for the Israeli Diamond Industry to compete is to make use of our own ‘natural resources’ – the creativity and resourcefulness of our ‘human resources’. These ‘natural resources’ have helped Israel maintain its competitive edge in so many fields, including the diamond industry,” Avidar said.
To underscore its emphasis on technology, IDI raffled off a number of iPads to journalists who participated in the press lunch.
