Vicenzaoro 2022: What to Know Before You Go

Popular Italian fine jewelry trade show Vicenzaoro is typically the first event on the annual fine jewelry calendar. But on Dec. 30, show organizer Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) announced that it’s moved its January date pattern to mid-March in response to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

The show will now take place March 17-21, with side shows T.Gold (equipment and technology) happening March 17-21 and VO Vintage (vintage jewelry) rolling out March 18-20 in the picturesque city of Vicenza.

We chatted with Marco Carniello, global exhibition director for IEG, to find out how it’s approaching the event this year, and what attending retailers can expect in this atypical year.

The Zing Report: We’re so glad Vicenzaoro is back again! What were the biggest challenges this year in planning for the show?

Marco Carniello: In a context where mobility is unfortunately still limited, our biggest challenge was to plan a show as a sort of “one stop shop” for the industry that gathers the very best of the entire international gold and jewelry supply chain.

The claim of this edition—“All At Once”—explains exactly what the event is about: a dynamic platform that optimizes purchasing trails, facilitates cross-selling, reveals the latest trends and innovations and helps expand networking. It’s a platform where every single player along the supply chain will have the opportunity to find answers to the entire industry’s supply chain and demand needs all in one place.

The challenge for IEG is to continue to evolve Vicenzaoro as a European leader of this sector capable of adapting, innovating formats and working as a system to drive the full recovery of business at an international level. The main players of our industry choose Vicenzaoro because they are aware of finding the perfect mix of business, educational and exchange that then makes it possible to develop new ideas and strategies to be more competitive.

With so much info available digitally, why do you think it’s still important (and a thrill) for retailers to attend the top trade fairs?

The reactions to the September 2021 edition of Vicenzaoro (which took place in physical presence after an almost year-long standstill) made it clear to us that our visitors continue to value building and reinforcing their relationships through in-person conversation.

The success of the show reflected the enormous desire of sector operators to come together and network in person. We could indeed immediately see the enthusiasm of buyers and visitors who missed the experience of an in-presence event. We believe that face-to-face fairs are still the most effective way to meet new people and partners and negotiate business deals. As much as we are aware of the omnipresence and importance of digital tools, we think that for now, people will choose in-person communication over managing their relations online.

What are some of the big happenings or elements retailers can look forward to this time?

The three souls of Vicenzaoro will be business, information and education. The show will offer not only the possibility to network and doing business but also to be further informed and learn thanks to the numerous talks and training courses scheduled with the most renowned and respected experts in the sector.

In [March] we will host the third edition of VO Vintage, the event for vintage watch and jewelry enthusiasts that brings together the main players in the market. Guests expected to attend will include Stefano Mazzario and Carlo Pergola, who are both deeply involved in the world of Rolex Daytona. We will also host T.Gold, the international Show for jewelry machinery and the most innovative technologies applied to gold and jewelry processing.

Education also plays a significant role in the coming edition. As an example, Prof. Ugo Pancani from the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) in Geneva will hold two technical sessions and introduce us to the most fascinating mechanisms in watchmaking: chronography, the tourbillon and the perpetual calendar. Furthermore, visitors can learn the basics of mechanical watchmaking and acquire the skills to assemble and disassemble a mechanical movement directly in the classroom thanks to the participation of trainers from CAPAC Polytechnic.

Last but not least, Vicenzaoro will also resound in the streets of Vicenza with our Off Show VIOFF, now at its seventh edition, which will offer an engaging artistic and entertainment program for a virtuous mix of business, culture, music and pleasurable Italian specialties for which we thank a lot the Municipality of Vicenza.

Register here for the Vicenzaoro show

All photos courtesy of IEG

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