The first international show on the global gem and jewellery trade fair calendar for 2020, VicenzaOro January (VOJ), held in Vicenza, Italy from January 17-22, attracted 35,000 visitors, the highest numbers recorded in the last ten years, the organisers Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) said in a post-show release.

Comprising ‘The Jewellery Boutique Show®’ and ‘T.GOLD’, the international show for jewellery machinery and technologies, the event was well appreciated in terms of business and overall promotional appeal, as well as for new ideas and trends in terms of style and creation in the jewellery field and the insights it offered into recent developments in technological, sales and distribution services and digitalization, IEG said.

VOJ attracted visitors from over 126 countries worldwide, with the number of local Italian visitors rising by +12%. The highest growth was seen in visitors from the US (+30%), followed by Japan (+22%), Europe (+9%), Africa (+7%), Middle East and Russia (both +6%) and Asia and the Far East (+4%).

IEG stated that the trade is attracted to the show by factors such as its strategic location and timing, multiple new events added to the agenda, innovations in the format, and the overall creativity of the over 1,500 brand exhibitors, among others.

The show also benefited from partnerships forged with ICE – the Agency that promotes Italian companies and their internationalization abroad – and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the “Prima” project, sponsored by Confindustria Federorafi, Confartigianato, Confimi Industria gold and silver division and CNA. Specific promotions by ICE in the United States’ market resulted in 120 B2B meetings between buyers from largescale retail in America and Italian companies, as well as the presence of start-up companies through the StartUp&Carats project.

Other highlights of the show such as Digital Talks, Gem Talks and other such activities, held with the aim of bringing the world of vocational training closer to that of industry, came about as a result of collaborations with Federpreziosi Confcommercio, AFEMO (Italian Association of Jewellery Machinery Manufacturers and Exporters), Assocoral – Association of Coral, Cameo and Jewellery Producers in Torre del Greco, and IGI – Italian Gemmological Institute.

The next shows on IEG’s Jewellery calendar in 2020 are OROAREZZO from April 18-21, Vicenzaoro September from September 5-9 and VOD Dubai International Jewellery Show in the autumn.