The 13th edition of IIJS Signature and the 7th edition of India Gem & Jewellery Machinery Expo (IGJME) organised by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) gave a headstart to the 2020 buying season, according to a press release from GJEPC.
The events, held from 13-16 February 2020 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre - Mumbai, attracted 15,000+ visitors of which 12,000 were pre-registered visitors from over 325 cities and towns pan India and more than 55 countries globally to visit 700+ exhibitors across 1,300 booths, spanning an area of over 45,000 sq. mts. Several new elements such as the Startup Zone (Hall 6), which promoted Emerging Designers & Women Entrepreneurs, and the Crafts Pavilion were welcomed by the exhibitors and buyers. GJEPC also concurrently presented the first-ever Business Knowledge Forum, The Artisan Awards and Design Inspirations to provide insight, intelligence and perspectives to members of the industry.
Image credit: GJEPC
Pramod Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, GJEPC, said, “IIJS Signature is now seen an integral part of Indian jeweller's business cycle. Despite business and environment headwinds, India’s gem & jewellery exports spanning every stage of the supply chain - from raw material suppliers to manufacturers, designers, wholesalers and retailers – participated wholeheartedly with energy and enthusiasm. We witnessed an influx of international buyers who are looking for alternatives considering the emerging international trade equations and China’s current situation.” He added, “GJEPC is also coming up with an only export show in Jaipur called India Gem & Jewellery show scheduled from 1 to 3 April 2020, only with the international buyers.
Colin Shah, Vice Chairman, GJEPC, said, “Despite all the challenges like Coronavirus and global slowdown, we had a decent attendance of over 15000 at the IIJS Signature 2020. We anticipate that globally, the second half of the year will be better than the first half and hence business will upscale going forward. Buyers have shown interest and have pre-booked orders at the IIJS Signature, which is a healthy sign for Indian diamond and jewellery exports business.”
Mansukh Kothari, convener, national exhibitions sub-committee, GJEPC, said, “The show had a good number of serious buyers. The overall enthusiasm of buyers was high. The Startup Zone got a good response and the industry appreciated the initiative. I got to hear from exhibitors that there were only serious buyers at this show which was a good thing. We also witnessed demand for high to medium weight jewellery.”
Exhibitors at the ‘Startup Zone’ section expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to interact with B2B buyers from across India, which is something new for them as they had only experience with end customers. The ‘Craft Pavilion’ promoted three traditional Indian jewellery crafts – temple, bidri and filigree. The aim is to preserve the knowledge of these crafts for posterity because right now they are only being passed down the generations by word of mouth or through practice. The ‘Business Knowledge Forum’ in association with Economictimes.com had speakers who spoke on the emergence and Importance of modern day information technology and tools like Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, Importance of Social media and impact of influencers etc. ‘Design Inspirations’ had jewellery forecaster Paola De Luca conduct a daylong session on the latest trends in jewellery and consumer behavior.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished
