Indian Jeweller (IJ) Magazine August -September 2019

Show RepoRt
Dignitaries at the flag hoisting ceremony
better than what they had expected.
The 36th edition of gems and jewellery
show welcomed the trade amidst a lot of
global and domestic upheavals – markets
globally haven’t been performing well and the
diamond trade is going through a very big crisis
that it hasn’t experienced in a while. Adding
to that the price of gold has been fluctuating
for a few months, leading to an all time high
in the last one week. There were concerns of
course amidst the jewellery fraternity about
how the show would perform given all these
factors – but as they say, whatever the case, the
show must go on and so it did. The five halls
(with the addition of Hall 7) were packed with
crowds, especially on the second day leading
up to the weekend.
A majority of the exhibitors felt that IIJS
continues to give the industry a much needed
impetus, especially now, with all the issues
surrounding import duty hike and rise in
gold price. While the visitor turn out overall
satisfactory, with buyers attending the show,
a better filtration system has been an issue at
IIJS where many end consumers were seen
scouting for jewellery at the show floor.
IIJS has always been good for the domestic
market. Every retailer, from small to big, from
tier 2 and 3 cities to metros looks forward to
the show, especially because of the ongoing
buying season. Visitors from Asian countries
as well as the Middle East were seen, but
there weren’t too many from the likes of the
U.S., Europe and the UK. However, domestic
visitor attendance has only gotten better over
the years.
Though exhibitors received many
enquiries, whether or not it will result in
actual business is something only time will tell.
In a survey we conducted at IIJS, 40 per cent
of the participants claimed that their business
volumes have decreased by 38 per cent – this
though expected, doesn’t bode well for the
industry. But the upcoming festive season and
the fact that there is one too many auspicious
days this year have given the jewellers some
kind of solace and despite the somber mood,
jewellers were still hopeful.
The preview day, which was created to get
exclusive buyers (by invitation) to the show,
has resulted in no value addition, as a majority
of them believed that the preview day hasn’t
really amounted to anything. Tedious processes
Trident Corporation
Gold Artism
surrounding entry and exit continue to be an
issue much to the visitors’ dismay. Complaints
regarding quality of food have also been a
major issue and the biggest grouse seems to
be that of the floor plan – as many believed
that Hall 1 didn’t get major attention this time
as visitors finished their businesses in Hall 5, 6
and 7A.
116 | august-september 2019 | INDIAN JEWELLER