The next edition of the twice-yearly Istanbul Jewelry Show (October 5-8, 2023) will be the largest October edition so far, the event’s founding partner Şermin Cengiz told Jewellery Outlook Editor David Brough.
Şermin Cengiz
What will be new and different about the October edition of the Istanbul Jewelry Show?
Fairs have been important meeting areas of commercial life since the first day they emerged. They are also among the important indicators of national economies. They are a major factor in both discovering innovations in the sector and accessing new domestic and international business contacts.
Our Istanbul Jewelry Show event, which is among the five largest jewelry fairs in the world, will be held for the 54th time between October 5-8, 2023. As it has been for 53 years, our exhibitors will present their new products and services in this fair. We can also define our fair as an “Export Fair”. In this way, especially our local companies can expand their sectoral market areas by providing new business connections.
Our fair will be our biggest October fair so far. It will increase from 40,000 square meters to 50,000 square meters and will host more than 27,000 industry professionals from more than 140 countries in 5 halls.
Against an uncertain global economic backdrop, how is the Turkish gold and silver jewellery manufacturing sector faring, and what trends are you seeing in Turkish precious jewellery exports?
Gold and silver have been valued by mankind since time immemorial. There are nearly 900 gold-silver mines in 80 countries around the world. Türkiye ranks first in Europe in gold production. Türkiye also has an important position in silver production. According to TIM data, the upward trend in jewelry exports continues in the first 6 months of 2023: jewelry exports increased by 13.10 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and amounted to 3.05 billion dollars.
When we look at the figures for 2022, Türkiye’s exports of jewelry and jewelers’ goods made of gold represented 4.5 billion dollars. Jewelry articles and accessories made of gold with diamonds accounted for 259 million dollars, while jewelry and jewelers’ articles made of silver accounted for 151 million dollars.
What variety of offering (products) will the October show deliver, and is the next edition fully booked with exhibitors?
More than 1,000 exhibitors and brands covering product groups such as gold, jewelry, diamonds, colored stones, precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, silver, silver jewelry and silver household goods, gold montage, refineries, watches, showcase decoration, machinery-equipment and sub-industries, safes, software, logistics and lighting, will join the fair.
What plans do you have for panel discussions?
Our fair, which is held twice a year, supports the sector not only with its products and services but also with its planned event programs and offers everything from A to Z in jewelry. We care about the sustainability of the sector. In this context, we want to create not only a trade fair but also a platform where innovations and trends in the sector can be discovered.
The “Art for Jewellery – Inspiration Hub” event, hosted by Istanbul Jewelry Show, will bring art and jewelry together. Art For Jewellery will host seminars that will broaden the horizons of the industry with many speakers from global influencers to important names in the art and jewelry industry.
In addition, WGSN, the world’s number one trend forecasting firm, will provide critical insights into consumer preferences by announcing the trends of the new season at Art For Jewellery.
Why is the Istanbul show a “must attend” event for retail and wholesale buyers from around the world?
Companies can first establish a one-to-one connection with potential buyers and the target audience through the fair. In this connection, they can promote their products and services without any intermediaries. This allows you to stand out in the market, while at the same time increasing your brand awareness and brand value.
While promoting your own products and services and securing new deals, you can also have the opportunity to closely examine your competitors and the sector.
With such a busy show calendar, what makes the Istanbul show stand out from the other shows?
The Istanbul fair brings with it an important brand value. Istanbul Jewelry Show is a very well-established fair, dating back to 1986. We continue to be the meeting point of the sector. Istanbul Jewelry Show brings together jewelry industry professionals from Eastern Europe to Near Asia, from Russia to North Africa, from CIS countries to the Middle East. Istanbul is also one of the world’s most important tourism destinations and stands out with its strategic location. This situation offers trade and tourism together.
What is your vision for the future evolution of the Istanbul show, in the context of fast-developing AI and digital trading platforms?
Artificial intelligence technology has developed rapidly in recent years and has started to take place in almost every aspect of our lives. It manifests itself in many areas including production, education and health. It was unthinkable that fairs, a platform where the pulse of the economy beats, would remain abstract from this technology.
Whatever you do today, you need to constantly follow the developments that affect the field you work in. Fair organization is also a dynamic sector, you need to closely follow not only your own field but also innovations so that you can stay up-to-date. In this context, as Informa, one of the world’s leading exhibition companies, we have different departments in this regard.
As a company, we adopt a proactive perspective. We follow new technologies and implement them in a way that will benefit organizations. In this context, our work on artificial intelligence will be reflected in our upcoming fairs.
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