(diamonds.net) - The Zoom meetings that constituted September’s World Diamond Congress lacked the event’s trademark pizzazz. The biennial conference, which combines the meetings of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), usually involves a lot of cumbersome organizational housekeeping. But it also provides an opportunity to network and showcase the industry’s achievements. For the leadership, it’s a chance to outline the challenges facing the trade and — we assume — strategize for the future as well. Covid-19 forced the 2020 congress to take place in a virtual format on September 15 to September 16. It also brought a sense of urgency to the discussions, with heightened expectations that the leadership would emerge with a clear plan to navigate this most difficult of crises. All things considered, the three webinars that were open to the public as part of the congress program were disappointing. They didn’t impart the sense of occasion that others have been able to achieve on Zoom. And the keynote presentations — on the Get Diamonds trading platform, the World Diamond Council’s System of Warranties, and the Natural Diamond Council’s new advertising campaign — were given out of context.
