The Future, Now. With this ambition comes to an open the N edition of Vicenza Oro, one of the busiest and most attractive jewellery fairs in Europe and the World. Indeed, in an ever-changing business, Vicenza Oro is turning into an international constant for many international traders. Over 1,000 Italian and 500 international exhibitors gathered for the 6-day event, while 15,000 visitors from 120 countries are expected to attend the event, turning the Vicenza exhibition area into a ‘living jewellery town’.
“We want to bring people together” said Fiera di Vicenza President Roberto Ditri. “This is the only opportunity where all the international actors involved in the business have the possibility to get in contact, whether they are sellers, buyers, dealers, designers, journalists. That is why I like to say that Vicenza Oro is not held in Italy, but in the World”.
At the opening summit meeting some of the most prominent personalities of the jewellery business exchanged their ideas about the future. The panel included: Swarovski Crystals board member Nadja Swarovski, British Designer Stephen Webster, Dean of the New York School of Art and Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Joanne Arbuckle, Vice-President of Estet (Russia) Artak Udumyan, Owner of Hamilton Jewellers Hank Siegel, Editor in Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Jewellery China Jenny Jing, and Italian designer Roberto Coin; moderator of the event was Financial Times writer Simon Brooke. The discussion revolved around the idea of evolution in jewellery, and all panelists agreed that three concepts would shape the future: design, corporate social responsibility and, most than everything, internationalization.
The need to facilitate contacts between professionals in all corners of the world is at the centre of Vicenza Oro. This is why the fair recently signed agreements in Dubai, Hong Kong, India and Brazil, as well as a strategic partnership with JCK Las Vegas.
The United States remains the single most attractive market for jewellery, and this is why this year a speed-greet meeting between Italian producers and 10 selected US retailers was organized to bring the two realities in close contact.
But the most ambitious project is the one that will structurally expand the fair and turn it into a Boutique-Show, where “companies that share the same values, distribution system, product type and general image, will be able to take advantage of a coordinated organisation that best promotes their relative distinctive elements”.
The launch of the new Trendbook +2014 by TrendVision, the permanent forecasting agency of the fair, will be offering buyers, exhibitors and designers an exceptional overview of future market and product orientations.
As usual, a lot of side activities animate the Fair. The Andrea Palladio International Award and The Next Generation Jewellery Contest will decorate the best designers of the present and the future.
Special attention was given to innovation in jewellery techniques, with the T-Gold pavilion presenting the cutting-edge technology in gold-processing machinery and designing software, while a day-long seminar on gold crafting techniques will provide all the information for professionals to remain up-to-date.
As new media are becoming fundamental for the business, Vicenza Oro launched a new web-portal (www.vicenzaoro.com) and a new smartphone app with the objective of keeping professionals updated on the latest news about the shows and their contents. Vicenza Oro also launched a dedicated SAT-TV channel that will transmit news and live broadcasts 24/7 throughout the 6 days of the show.
Finally, the management of the fair launched another project: the creation by the end of the year of a Jewellery Museum to be at the beautiful Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza. The museum is a tribute to the role of gold and jewellery in shaping culture and society, as well as of its profound connections with this area of Italy.
In conclusion, Vicenza Oro proves not only to be among the most vibrant, innovative and inspiring jewellery exhibition in the World but, thanks to the ambition and outward vision of the management is also becoming a crucial hub for professionals all over the world. So if, for whatever reason, you are not able to visit Vicenza Oro, Vicenza Oro will probably come to you.
Matteo Butera, Rough&Polished, from Vicenza, Italy
