Vicenzaoro Show: Maintains its Global Relevance

Over 19,000 visitors attended the Vicenzaoro September show organised by Fiera di Vicenza, which took place from September 3-7. Among its features was the launch of NOW - Not Ordinary Watches, a new area dedicated to timepieces.

Vicenzaoro September, the international gold and jewellery show organised by Fiera di Vicenza in Italy, ran from September 3-7. The show drew more than 19,000 buyers and trade professionals from 115 different countries to witness gold and jewellery featured by 1,300 brands from 35 different countries, including all of Italy’s gold districts. The number of buyers from Germany, France and Spain was slightly lower, while visitors from Great Britain, Greece, Norway, Denmark and Holland increased. There was positive growth in attendance by visitors from Central and Eastern Europe – especially Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kazakhstan – although there was definite downward trend with Russian traders, who fell both in terms of attendance and purchasing power. The Gulf region and surrounding states, too, saw a sharp fall in turnout, confirming not so positive trends in their domestic markets. But from the Middle East the growth in Israeli participants was notable.

While the visitor turnout from China was good, the number of buyers from Hong Kong dipped. Regarding other Asian buyers, attendance from India was stable, while there was growth in attendance from Thailand.

The results of the event should be seen in the context of the complex international gold and jewellery market. During the first six months of 2016, demand for gold in the jewellery industry fell by 28%, as compared to the same period in 2015. Turnover in certain key markets dipped, including India (-54%), China (-26%), Russia (-25%) and the UAE (-18%). In contrast, turnover in the USA (+11%), UK (+4%) and Germany (+3%) increased.