CREATED to link all corners of the global jewelry industry chain – from international trade organizations and chambers of commerce, to wholesalers, manufacturers, traders, retailers and end consumers – VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show will debut in Dubai later this year. Organized by DV Global Link, a joint-venture company between Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), the consolidated VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show incorporates the emirate’s two leading jewelry sector showcases – the trade-centric VICENZAORO Dubai and consumer-friendly Dubai International Jewelry Week - into a single, industry-wide mega event running November 15–18 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Spanning more than 200,000 square feet of indoor exhibition space, VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show will deliver an all-new approach in terms of layout, format and visitor experience, with more than 500 local, regional and international exhibitors launching brand new product lines, collections and jewelry innovations to a trade and consumer audience. Divided into four strategic districts - Global Brands, Fine Jewelry, Gemstones & Diamonds and Packaging and Technology - to meet the dynamic demands of the constantly-evolving global jewelry market, VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show will optimize access for both trade and consumer visitors, as well as on-site business and sales potential for exhibitors. “Dubai has been at the global crossroads of the international jewelry market for decades; our vision is for VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show to consolidate that position and truly establish the emirate as the world’s premier jewelry trading destination for wholesalers, traders, manufacturers and end consumers,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. Corrado Facco, Managing Director of Italian Exhibition Group and Vice President of DV Global Link, moted: “After the wonderful job it did for the first two editions of VOD, this year DV Global Link is also managing the Dubai International Jewelry Week, creating a unique and innovative event in the region specifically dedicated to the international jewelry community. The Show, which has now been moved to the Gulf market's high season for sales, is doubling its target of reference by opening up to both the consumer public and professional traders, thus maintaining the B2B spirit so characteristic of Vicenzaoro. Thanks to the skills of two top international Exhibition Providers, namely IEG and DWTC, and the collaboration of our partners, all the prospects for boosting VOD Dubai International Jewelry Week's reputation as a global market place and strategic launching pad for entry onto key international jewelry markets, are looking good.” With worldwide jewelry production reaching 2,200 tons per annum, Dubai currently imports and re-exports around 325-350 tons – or 14 percent – of the global total. This share could swell on-the-back of a globally-recognised jewelry event that drives increased trade to and through the emirate, believes Tawhid Abdullah, the Chairman of Dubai Gold Jewelry Show, which comprises 700 trading members from across the UAE’s jewelry community. “The regional market is flourishing and the UAE was the only jewelry-trading country that saw an average increase of five-to-eight per cent in the first five months of 2017, compared to the same period last year,” said Abdullah. “Dubai has managed to build its strong position thanks to a number of reasons: credibility, experience of the trade, free import and export duty, experience and potential of the wholesalers, overall pricing, government support, many things. Dubai doesn’t consume the 350 tons of jewelry that we see every year – 80-90 per cent is re-exported, it comes and goes. This is what Dubai is all about; it’s a service provider, a facilitator of goods, industry and trade. We manufacture, we import, we export, we assemble and we facilitate the meeting of countries and companies to do business. Dubai is where the world comes to trade.” VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show aims to increase the emirate’s jewelry trading potential via strategic partnerships with a raft of local and international trade organizations including DGJG, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and India’s Gem Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). In addition to aiding the consolidated show’s all-inclusive, trade-meets-consumer vision, the partnerships facilitate a collective platform for sharing client lists, industry knowledge and expertise in trading, training, international conferences and more. “Having been a strategic partner of Vicenzaoro Dubai since the show’s inaugural edition in 2015, we are excited about this new chapter and seeing how this exhibition continues to grow after its merging with Dubai International Jewelry Week,” said Franco Bosini, Director Innovation Hub at DMCC. “The UAE is the fifth largest jewelry consumer in the world – and first on a per capita basis. Therefore, VOD Dubai International Jewelry Show is the perfect place to promote what both Dubai and DMCC are doing on a global platform, while providing a unique opportunity to learn and shape the future of the industry. Our job is to create and connect markets where Dubai can lead the way in developing the future of trade, and what better way to achieve that than by leveraging one of the largest international jewelry exhibitions in our own back yard!” These messages will be taken across the GCC, greater Middle East, Africa and Near Asia during an extensive road show – the largest of its kind for any Middle Eastern jewelry event - in coming months. Designed to target leading buyers from an assortment of international brands, wholesalers, retailers and boutiques, confirmed road-show stops include key markets across the GCC and Arabian Gulf, as well as Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Russia and Kazakhstan are also on the “By working with DGJG, GJEPC and other trade organizations, we expect to unite more than 10,000 leading trade buyers including wholesalers, jewelry manufacturers, chain stores and top brand retailers at the show,” said Emanuele Guido, General Manager, DV Global Link. “The attendance of top tier buyers is crucial to our success and the pre-promotional roadshow has been meticulously planned to target high-spend buyers from strategic source markets.”