By Cynthia Unninayar
Kicking off 2013’s jewellery trade calendar under the theme “The Future. Now,” Vicenzaoro Winter provided a note of cautious optimism for the recovery of the global jewellery market. This optimism continued in the recent Spring edition held in May.
The largest of the three editions, Vicenzaoro Winter is particularly important as many brands introduce new collections, thus helping to set the global trends for the year, while the economic results tend to set the mood for the coming months. At the close of both the winter and the spring shows, the tone was upbeat and cautiously optimistic.
While Italian exhibitors made up the majority of the 1,500 companies present, others came from 31 other nations, further evidence that Vicenzaoro is indeed an international meeting place. This “globality” was also seen in the number of foreign visitors who travelled to the show. Of the 29,000 people who visited both Vicenzaoro and T-Gold (section for machinery and technology), 7,600 were buyers from overseas, who made trips from 120 countries.
“The influx of visitors is a positive sign for the jewellery world, especially for Italian-made products. If the abundance of Italian traders is a good sign, then the presence of foreigners, particularly in terms of the quality and determination of the buyers, is extremely significant,” commented Roberto Ditri, President of Fiera di Vicenza. “At the moment, the economy of the jewellery industry is being dragged along by the foreign markets, especially non-European ones, and for this reason, the fact that we saw retailers from Canada, the United States, Central America,and Russia as well as Asia, the Middle East and Turkey, is enormously satisfying. The increase in the numbers of people coming from the Balkans and Greece is also interesting.” A great deal of this success can be attributed to the fact that the Vicenza Fair is more than a trade fair, but an entity that works very hard on the main markets to promote brand awareness of Vicenzaoro, in particular, and Italian jewellery in general. As Ditri added, “It is our contribution towards boosting the importance of Italian production and industry in the territory.”
Promoting the Industry
The Fiera de Vicenza is continuing its strategies to not only improve the fair, but also to promote Italian design worldwide. This is seen in various initiatives undertaken in markets such as Hong Kong, Dubai, India, and Las Vegas, as well as other special events aimed at giving Vicenzaoro a more international presence. “2013 is a year of transition for the fair. Several new major projects are being developed this year, which will culminate in 2014 with the launch of Fiera di Vicenza’s ‘Boutique Show,’” explained Ditri. “It will extend its direct presence into all the world’s strategic markets.”
Fully operational beginning with the Vicenzaoro Winter 2014 event, the Boutique Show will have a new infrastructure, new services, and new exhibition models specifically designed to enhance the value of the offer and meet the needs of buyers and retailers. This entails a rearrangement of the new exhibition space based on a number of guidelines, and involves the creation of new exhibitor “communities.” Brands will be organized into similar groups based on common values, positioning, organizational systems, production type, and overall image. The entire exhibition will contain six areas: Icon, Creation and Look for jewellery; Essence for gemstones and precious components; Expression for packaging and visual merchandising; Evolution for precious metal processing technologies.
Among a number of other marketing initiatives is the creation of a new portal at vicenzaoro.com and the Vicenzaoro TV Channel. The former goes beyond the dimensional and temporal restrictions of the trade fair, and serves as a permanent showcase that can interact with the global jewellery sector on a continual basis. The new TV channel was broadcast throughout Europe during the six-day fair over the Sky, Tivusat, and Eutelsat satellite platforms. It offered exhibitors and other players in the sector international visibility with a potential audience of hundreds of millions of spectators.
New Additions to Vicenzaoro
Promoting Vicenzaoro worldwide also pays off in terms of attracting foreign exhibitors. Among the several new entrants this year were the Spanish brand Bohemme and the U.S. brand Le Vian. Owned by designer Antonio Espaliu Berdud, the two-year old Cordoba-based Bohemme creates very fashionable silver creations with black rhodium plating, along with some gold pieces, set with real stones and cubic zirconia. “We do very well in Spain,” explained Berdud, “and wanted to branch out internationally, and we saw Vicenzaoro as a good vehicle.”
The New York-based Le Vian decided to exhibit at Vicenzaoro because it “wants to expand into Europe, China, and India” stated Jonathan Le Vian, son of the founder. Sometimes dubbed “the chocolate company,” Le Vian specializes in chocolate diamonds as well as coloured diamonds, and has a popular line of chocolate bridal rings.
In addition to the newcomers, trendsetting designs from Vicenzaoro exhibitors can be seen on these pages, indicative of the creativity and craftsmanship of Italian design.
Comments from Buyers and Brands
Comments from Buyers and Brands “This is my first time at Fiera di Vicenza. It is the most important event in the gold and jewellery sector and it seems to be very focused on the creative aspect of jewellery. As far as I’m concerned, Vicenzaoro is an extremely important meeting point for creating and establishing business relationships, and I am happy to have had the chance to expand my customer base due to my visit here.” – Manish Dhamani, Dhamani Jewelry, Dubai (buyer).
“The future of jewellery means giving our customers the chance to interact with those who make it. This closeness will be the true key to success in jewellery. The fact that a trade fair wants to create matching between the expectations of the evolved consumer and producers is an enormous opportunity for us.” – Hank Siegel, Hamilton Jewellers, USA (buyer).
“In Vicenza, we are looking for unique and marvellous jewellery designs, produced by Italian craftsmen that we don’t see in America. Italians are great in everything they do, jewellery included. We want to select the very best for our customers, something that my competitors on the other side of the street will not find at JCK, America’s big jewellery show.” – Chris Graham, Graham Jewelers, USA, (buyer).
“Vicenzaoro is a truly international Show. It covers the range of countries where we want to be more visible, from the Middle East to South America and Asia. And it allows us to strengthen contacts with our Italian, European, and American customers.” – Romy Mehta, CEO, Bapalal Keshavlal, India (Exhibitor).
Keshavlal, India (Exhibitor). “We are extremely satisfied, especially having found a space in Pavilion B that is on a level with our products. This gave greater visibility to our brand and helped attract customers that we were then able to host in a truly comfortable space. I am very pleased with the results of this show which have exceeded all of our expectations.” – Ricardo Vianna, CEO Vianna Brasil, Brazil (Exhibitor).
“The January Vicenzaoro is becoming, as expected, increasingly more international. We have worked with buyers from Europe, Turkey, and Greece, decidedly interesting markets due to their Russian tourism advantage. But we have also had the opportunity to get to know buyers from Eastern Europe, including Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, and Kazakhstan, markets that are always on the lookout for conspicuous and luxury collections.” – Daniele Bruni, Pasquale Bruni, Italy (Exhibitor).
Also announced at the Winter and Spring editions of Vicenzaoro is the annual invitation-only event, About J. This small and exclusive show will be held in Venice, September 4 to 7, 2013, just before Vicenzaoro Fall, which will open its doors September 7 to 11.
