The second edition of Carat+  came to an end   last week   on a positive  note. The three-day show had encapsulated  brisk business during the day   and a touch of glamour at the evening entertainment events --  with networking opportunities throughout.

“The trade event surpassed its attendance goals, with a total of 3,829 visitors across all three days (up from 2,927 last year),” the fair organisers said. The visitors included  diamond professionals, buyers and members of the press from 50 countries, including India, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Though expressing satisfaction with the turnout and the growth registered in just one year of its launch, the organisers have announced about future  editions of the show that they will  “widen its scope”  and  “introduce further initiatives” to attract even more retailers, designers, brands and buyers to attend in 2019.

 The organisers also shared some reactions and responses from different participants at the 2018 edition.

Rapaport  Publisher  John Costello, said: “This show is a beacon of light for the diamond industry in Europe. To have such a stunning platform for diamonds and a show dedicated to the beauty of diamonds is very important to the trade, and it is something that Rapaport is very proud to be associated with. We will do all we can to help promote and develop the show, and this year we have seen a step-up from last year – it is still a very young show and it has years to develop, but this is an excellent start.”

Sachiv Mehta, Managing Director of Supergems, who was participating in the show for the first time, said: “We enjoyed participating in a high-quality show with a support team that’s always finding new ideas to keep visitors and exhibitors engaged.”

Mahiar Borhanjoo, Managing Director of Venus Jewel International, also a first-time exhibitor at  the show, commented: “The passion behind the organisers to make something great has been noticed. We appreciate the hard work and efforts the Carat+ team put in to make this show happen.”

HRD Antwerp Marketing and Communications Manager, Laurence Vadenborre, added: “The first experience for HRD Antwerp at Carat+ was very positive. The organisation of the fair was of a top-level, as well as the communication around it. We enjoyed success at our booth, both for our grading service and for the demos of our new equipment. We felt supported by the Carat + team throughout this exciting journey and we will be very happy to take part in the next edition."

Carat + 2018 had also featured an impressive array of technology for the diamond industry.

Chris Sanger, Trade Development Manager at IIDGR De Beers, said: “We had a great experience at the Carat+ show, which continues to grow as an important event in the calendar. Many people were interested in our diamond detection instruments and adding this technology to the glamour of Carat+ made for an interesting mix. We look forward to the 2019 event.”

Roberto Coin, participating again in the second edition commented: “I have strongly enjoyed being a promoter of the second edition of Carat+. Today fairs are very difficult, but they are a precious chance to meet international clientele and bring [them] inside your world. I consider Antwerp a beautiful city and its diamonds are even better. I think Carat+ could be the platform for [the city’s] future.”

Similarly, Camilla Jackson, International Marketing Manager of Amin Luxury, which exhibited at the show for the second time with the Niro Group, commented: “This is our second year at Carat+ and we are fortunate to be able to compare one year to the next. We have certainly seen a greater volume of interest and enquiries in our loose diamonds; the Niru Group collection and in our joint venture of the Leonardo Da Vinci Cut collection.

“We travel the world to all the big fairs, JCK, Hong Kong and Vicenzaoro, and we are finding that Carat+ has an approach that is very futurist and appealing; from the entertainment offered, which creates the ability to socialise with other exhibitors on the first night, and the condense length of the show that is enough to ensure high-quality meetings and maintain the sales team’s spirits.”

The Carat+ Conference platform, including a series of talks hosted across all three days of the event, proved to be an attraction for the visitors. This year’s speakers included representatives from GIA, Rapaport, HRD Antwerp, Holition and the Responsible Jewellery Council.

GIA Senior Vice President of Business Development, Anna Martin, commented: “On behalf of GIA, our congratulations to Carat+ for building such success in just two years. We are pleased to be part of that success, and we look forward to being even more a part of the Antwerp diamond community.”

The show’s  Main Partner, Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), had hosted a hugely successful diamond hackathon, Hack4Diamonds, was hosted in collaboration with Junction.  Participating teams  had presented their innovative ideas to tackle challenges in the diamond sector to packed audiences.

The winning team presented fresh ideas on blockchain technology, while second place was awarded to a team proposing co-working spaces in the diamond sector.  

AWDC CEO, Ari Epstein, commented: “As the representative body of the world’s largest diamond hub, AWDC was proud to be a Main Partner of this prestigious second edition of Carat+. The increase in show attendance by industry stakeholders from around the globe, as well as the success of the very first diamond hackathon, once again confirmed Antwerp as the epicentre of the global diamond trade and the frontrunner when it comes to fostering innovation. We look forward to building further on this foundation in next year’s edition.”

 Carat + Founder, Filip Van Laere, concluded: “This year, we achieved a number of significant long-term objectives way ahead of the initial planning. One such objective was to create world-wide awareness for Carat+ as a diamond-specific show with great potential, and I believe we ticked that box successfully in 2018. Now that the global format and all the organisational aspects of the show are fully under control, we can fully concentrate on bringing yet more visitors to experience Carat+.”