IIJS 2014 Opens Doors

The 31st edition of the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) 2014 opened its doors yesterday on July 17, 2014 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. Amidst a rainy morning and dark clouds, the who’s who of the industry were seen making their way toward the venue with a determination to make it a huge success. The inauguration ceremony was held at 11 AM at Hall 1, which saw a good turnout. The Guest of Honour at the inauguration ceremony was the Honourable Minister of Industry KarnaBahadurThapa, Government of Nepal Singhdarbar Kathmandu. The other dignitaries presiding over the ceremony were Vipul Shah, Chairman, GJEPC;Pankaj Parekh, Vice-Chairman, GJEPC; Sabyascahi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC and NiravBhansali, Convener, IIJS.

Welcoming the guests, Vipul Shah said, “It has been GJEPC’s constant endevour to promote the gems and jewellery trade and IIJS has proved to give it impetus, each year. Currently, the industry is in a transitional phase due to the new Government and the demands made by us to the new Government are sure to bring in new opportunities for the trade. It is my honour to say that time and again India has proved to be a design destination for jewellery all over the globe. This year we have hit the all time high of pre-registered visitors at 35,000. The IIJS 2014 will house 1800 booths of around 850 exhibitors. We are also expecting many visitors from numerous countries such as UK, Hungary, Russia, Iran, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Bangladesh, etc. This year, the IIJS will take place according to the old floor plan as many exhibitors of gold and loose stone sections professed apprehension towards the new plan.”

He then invited the Guest of Honour, Minister of Industry, Karna BahadurThapa, of Government of Nepal to share a few words. The Guest of Honour shared, “The Government of Nepal has been enforcing economic reform strategies since a decade and I am happy to say that India is one of the most important investors in Nepal as more than 65 per cent of our trade happens with India. Nepal has large deposits of quartz, granite, tourmaline, ruby and other major stones in the hilly regions. But, due to the lack of research & development facilities, human resources, technical expertise, etc., we have not been able to grow in gemstones vertical. India is the biggest market for Nepalese stones. I am sure that this visit to the IIJS will help us in increasing our awareness and we can find ways for mutual collaborations for an inclusive growth of Indian and Nepalese gemstones trade.”

To culminate the ceremony, the convener of the show NiravBhansali presented a vote of thanks and informed that the Council is expecting a business growth of 10-15 per cent at the IIJS 2014.

Although the rains dampened the mood yesterday, the second half of the day was seen gaining some momentum. We hope today, that is Day 2 proves its mettle.