The online promotion was attended by Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC; Shailesh Sangani, Convener, National Exhibitions; Mansukh Kothari, Co-convener, National Exhibitions and Sabyasachi Ray, Executive  Director, GJEPC, along with buyers from the Middle East countries.

Commenting on IIJS Virtual, Colin Shah said, “The Middle East has been an important trade partner for India, accounting for 26% of India’s total gem and jewellery exports. Dubai and neighbouring countries have been participating actively and supporting IIJS throughout these years. At IIJS Virtual, we have tried to do our best to offer a platform where you can connect to manufacturers. With the use  of the latest technology, the platform is seamlessly integrated with physical aspects. It has well-equipped digital architecture and facilitates one-on-one meetings between sellers and buyers. Both the buyer and exhibitor experience will be enhanced with 2D and 3D Stalls, Dashboards, and an appealing Meeting Interface with live product profiling.”

Sangani took the participants through a detailed presentation of IIJS Virtual, explaining the various aspects of the show. He added, “Not doing the IIJS show in August was a big challenge for everybody, including buyers and sellers. We studied 50 virtual trade shows across various categories around the world and learnt how other industries managed to conduct exhibitions during this time. We organised our show based on the findings, and that’s how the conceptualisation of IIJS Virtual came about.”

“We have used Indian terminology for the product listing so that buyers can easily and quickly search for inventory using the common market lingo,” Sangani noted.

The dynamic virtual show will have features like appointment scheduler, live chats, product catalogues, meeting rooms, seminars, and more.

All visitors to the virtual show will get free entry and they can browse through an exhibitor’s limited product listing starting seven days prior to the opening of the show. Visitors can also add products to their individual wish list and pre-schedule meetings as per the five-day calendar of each exhibitor.

The show will have dedicated 5 Halls for Traditional Gold Jewellery, Diamond/Coloured Gemstone Jewellery, Couture/Bridal Jewellery, Loose Diamonds/Colour Stones/Pearls, and Silver Jewellery and Gold Jewellery