This year the annual Rapaport International Diamond Conference (IDC) is salted for September 10th, 2009, at The Times Center, New York, as has been its tradition. It has been the tradition to host the IDC in New York City during the week of September 11th and donate the proceeds to two charities including Jewelers For Children (JFC) and Fair Trade Jewelry Association (FTJA) charities.

The theme for this year’s conference has been decided as ‘New Realities’, elucidating the market changes occurring due to the economic slowdown and ways to turn opportunities into a winning situation. The forum will touch upon various topics including - “The New Economy: From Rough Diamonds to Retail Jewelry,” “New Consumer Markets: The India Story,” “The Big Stone Market: 47 Street Perspectives” and “Human Rights and the Diamond Industry: What Can and Should We Do?”

Talks will be presented by select group of professionals across the trade bodies and gem and jewellery companies - Des Kilalea of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC); Christopher Ellis of Consensus Advisors; Mehul Choksi, chairman of Gitanjali Group; C.K. Venkatraman, chief operations officer (COO) of Titan Industries (Tata Group), presidents of the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America (DMIAA), the New York Diamond Dealers Club (DDC), the World Diamond Council (WDC), Jewelers of America and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC); Ian Smillie, chairman of Development Diamond Initiative (DDI); Georgette Gagnon, director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch; and Brad Brooks-Rubin of the U.S. State Department. Martin Rapaport will also present “Riding the Wave of Change.”