The 10th edition of Signature IIJS and 4th edition of the India Gem & Jewellery Machinery Expo (IGJME) were inaugurated this morning at Mumbai by WFDB President Ernest Blom and Manoj Dwivedi (Jt. Secretary, Union Ministry of Commerce, Government of India) in the presence of senior members of the trade from different parts of the country. The two shows are being held in conjunction at the same venue and will run till February 9, 2017.

Praveenshankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC welcomed the guests mentioning that the two shows were being held in the 50th anniversary year of the GJEPC. He said that the number of initiatives that the Council was taking had multiplied over the years. An example of this is how the WFDB-IDMA Presidents Meeting, the Diamond Financing seminar and the two trade shows were all being held simultanteously in the city.

“Exhibitions are the most popular and recognised ones, especially those that are focused on export promotion,” Pandya said, congratulating not only the team that had put together the current shows, but also the past Conveners of the exhibition committees who had steered the shows to its present heights.

Presiding Guest Manoj Dwivedi too stressed that trade shows helped give visitors a live feeling of the pulse of the business as they are the primary platforms on which Business to Business trade and networking occurs. “Annual exhibitions also encourage the industry players to constantly keep reinventing their businesses with new designs and new collections each year.”

He said that while the Council had done a commendable job in creating a world class exhibition in the current venue, it was time for the organisation to consider setting up a world class convention centre on its own. He expressed the opinion that such a project would help the industry and would receive support, including possible equity support from the government. Other industries would also benefit if the gem and jewellery industry took initiatives in this direction.

Chief Guest Ernie Blom said that it was significant that the 10th IIJS not only coincided with the 50th anniversary of the GJEPC, but also was with the 70th anniversary celebrations of the WFDB which were being launched at the Presidents Meeting taking place in the city simultaneously. Praising the Indian industry for its contribution to the global gem and jewellery industry, Blom said that he came from a country that was known as a key centre of the diamond and gold industry, and today this would be an apt description for India which has seen significant growth in the past few decades.

Saunak Parikh, (Convener – Exhibitions – National, GJEPC) gave the Vote of Thanks.

Earlier, Sabyasachi Ray (Executive Director, GJEPC) introduced the latest initiative from GJEPC, the launch of its Mobile App which will help bring the Council more in sync with the vision of a Digital India put forward by the Hon Prime Minister.

The two exhibitions host more than 500 exhibitors and 1,000 plus stalls and are expected to attract 15,000 visitors from over 455 cities and towns pan India and more than 55 countries. Buyer delegations are from countries such as the UK, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Lebanon, China, Hong Kong, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal amongst others.

Pic caption: Ernest Blom and Manoj Dwivedi inaugurate the exhibitions in the presence of Praveenshankar Pandya, Saunak Parikh, Mansukh Kothari, Haresh Zaveri and others