VicenzaOro Autumn Opens to 21% Increase in Visitor Traffic

The VicenzaOro Autumn show opened on Saturday, with increased visitor traffic. Fair organizers announced that Day 1 saw an increase of 21 percent in traffic compared to last year (4,308 trade professionals), with a significant increase in international visitors as well.

This went some way in dispelling the concerns about the sector that were widely expressed by a panel of speakers at the inauguration, led by the Fiera di Vicenza President Dino Menarin. 

Most concerns revolved around declining exports, declining share in the world jewelry market and decreasing manufacturing, set in the context of a totally new international reality on the economic front. However, all speakers noted that the high end segment of Italian jewelry had actually seen an increase in exports thus bucking the general trend.

More significantly, Maurizio Castro, Director General of the Vicenza Fiera outlined a new strategy of the Fair, announcing a number of changes.

Foremost among them was a restructuring of the company and management of the Trade Fair Authority. Earlier a public institution under various authorities like the Municipality of Vicenza, it has now been transformed into a corporation, Vicenza Fiera SpA, entity with a leaner board.

Other changes envisaged are the addition of two new jewelry shows and a luxury show.

IJBA, a high-end “by invitation show,” will be held in Milan March 2-4, 2008, and feature around 80 top-end companies and invite only about 300 leading buyers. Exhibitors and visitors would include Italian and international companies. Slated to be held soon after the fashion events in Milan, the IBJA would try and integrate jewelry with the wider world of fashion.

The other new jewelry show, to be held in November 2008, will feature avant-garde and cutting edge design-led jewelry. A school for creative designing would also be set up to feed this effort.

Starting in 2008, the Vicenza Fair will also expand its frontiers by hosting a Luxury and Yachts trade show over two weekends with a number of events organized around it.

The existing three editions of Vicenza Oro will also be revised to give each a definite focus. While the January show would retain its present identity, the May show would be opened to consumers, and the September Fair would be distribution focused, Castro said.