The second day of IGJME ended on a stronger note than it had begun with better footfalls in the late afternoon as compared to a relatively slower morning. However, exhibitors who had expected a surge in numbers on the second day of the show, especially as it was a Saturday, were a trifle disappointed that the turnout was not as good as they had hoped for.
Kaushal Khetan, Executive Director, Gesswein opined that they had hoped for a better turnout over the weekend. “We did have some inquiries from jewellers in Jaipur which were positive, and some visitors from Gujarat and other regions,” he said, pointing out that there were a sizable number of students among the visitors, and they “are not really buyers”. He said that overall, the company was not very satisfied.
Salim Topacuogiu of Bosa Jewellery Design and Albert Chylabaev of Guven-is Moulds, both Turkish companies said that the numberof visitors at the show was much lower than they had expected. While the language barrier probably added to their difficulties, the models and rubber moulds they had on display evoked little interest.
Alp Arslain Misir of Alpress, also from Turkey, said that the first two days were not bad on the whole, but compared to Day One, business was slower on Day Two.
At the stall of Harsh Precious Metals too, director Vijay Gopani said that the turnout was lower than they had expected.
He also made an observation that many visitors are from smaller units in the unorganised sector and so were not too interested in the better quality master alloys, fittings & findings, clasps etc that the company had to offer. “These are far superior in quality to similar items the local jewellers currently use, but are slightly higher priced also. There will have to be a change in mind-set both among the jewellers and consumers, before the smaller manufacturers accept them,” he said.
Donald Michael, whose company DM Impex offers Italian made laser machines that are “customised for the Indian market with better heat exchangers” said he received some positive inquiries. However, he felt that unless there was a rise in the number of quality visitors who are genuinely serious buyers, smaller companies like his may find it difficult to keep participating in the show in subsequent years. “Maybe they should consider having such a show closer to the jewellery manufacturing hubs like Jaipur and Coimbatore,” he concluded.
Laxmikant Vaidya of Technovision, a CAD CAM supplier, felt that overall numbers were low, and that the stalls at the far end of the hall were at a disadvantage. “I could see larger numbers of visitors at the stalls in the first few aisles. But this was not the case in the last row near the exit,” he said.
He felt that Council needed to promote the show more aggressively, so that the numbers swell in the future. “The arrangements were good, but business was limited due to slower visitor traffic. We come to shows for networking and to generate more inquiries. We hope that this aspect will improve in the years to come.”