IIJS Virtual, the digital avatar of IIJS Premiere, opens today. The show which is being held from 12th-16th October will break the shackles of social distancing and trade paralysis imposed by the pandemic.

It’s time to do business again! The entire gem and jewellery industry was in hibernation mode for months on end as Covid-19 had the world under its vicious grip. Gradually, the industry tried to shake off the fear and slowly the wheels of business began to move once again.

Holding a physical trade show of the magnitude of IIJS Premiere was out of question as the safety norms had to be honoured. As demand from various countries began to trickle in at first, and then return to near normal, GJEPC decided to take the virtual route. Initially, two buyer-seller meets for diamonds and gold were held successfully.

Although the format was small, the success of these virtual shows emboldened the Council and it was time to take the big leap! Riding on the anticipation of great business potential are 330 exhibitors who are already fielding queries from trade visitors. They have been ‘window shopping’ products displayed on each exhibitor’s dashboard, adding items to their wish list, and prebooking hour-long appointments with their prospective vendors. Registration for visitors is free and the procedure to enter is simple and user-friendly.

The preview days of IIJS Virtual saw some interesting numbers in terms of buyers taking virtual tours and booking appointments. The five-day virtual show will host a series of seminars featuring the industry’s best professionals such as Sachin Jain of Forevermark, Vaishali Banerjee of PGI, Ajoy Chawla of Tanishq, and Tawhid Abdullah of Jawhara Jewellery, who will speak on a range of topics of vital importance to your business in the current scenario. IIJS Virtual will be the guiding force in the post pandemic world -- bringing in a beacon of hope and perhaps chalking out the shape of things to come.