On Thursday April 14, 2016 Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office and Chairperson of Dubai Women Establishment, Her Excellency Mona Al Marri, inaugurated the second edition of the Vicenzaoro Dubai (VOD), in the presence of His Excellency Helal Al Marri, Director General of Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing and Director General of the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The show, organised by DV Global Link -- a joint venture between Fiera di Vicenza and DWTC -- is scheduled to run from April 14 to April 17, 2016.

Speaking at the inauguration, HE Mona Al Marri said that Dubai is well positioned to be a regional hub for the jewellery retail sector, given its strategic geographic location and world-class infrastructure, combined a deep-rooted tradition in gold and jewellery trading tradition.

She also commented that specialised exhibitions offer an excellent newtworking opportunity for the local and international industry as well as are a platform where participants can update themselves about key trends in the industry.

HE Helal Al Marri, in his speech, said that the exhibition is an important opportunity to further cement Dubai’s position as global capital of the jewellery industry, covering the Arabian Gulf, Middle East and North Africa, Russia, as well as the Central and South East Asia regions.

He added that international brands also stand to benefit from Dubai’s brand value and presents many opportunities to diversify their businesses.

The VOD, avowedly designed for the business communities in the jewellery, gold, precious stones and diamond industries, aims to give a platform to “cutting-edge companies to present the very latest, most exclusive collections to an accredited and international public from the industry,” the organisers said. Though primarily a B2B show, on the last day, dubbed the ‘Jewellery Celebration Day’, it will be open to all visitors.

 A number of exciting events have been planned in conjunction or as part of the show.  “A key highlight  is the TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting,  Fiera di Vicenza’s independent think tank for trend forecasting that will take place in the VOD Welcome Lounge with a dedicated Trends Area,” the organisers had announced earlier. “The area will include four showcases that will feature the 2017 Mega Trends and their corresponding consumer profiles where visitors will also be invited to consult the think tank editorial publications: The Trendbooks, Consumer Profiles and Product Directions.”

Also organised is a Dubai & Made In Italy exhibition - “a jewellery exhibition that celebrates the collaboration between Italian craftsmanship and Middle East culture”.  This has been curated by Maria De Toni and highlights “the importance of global synergies in business”.

Also to be seen at the VOD are the creative efforts of an “exclusive selection” of independent designers from Saudi Arabia, China and the UAE.

VOD’s strategic partners this year include: the Dubai Multi Commodity Center (DMCC); the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (DGJG); L’Azurde; The Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) of India; and Damas.