The Gala Dinner of the 2011 Antwerp Diamond Conference will host Colin L. Powell, the 65th Secretary of State of the United States. Mr. Powell will deliver the keynote address at the event, which will see a gathering of participants of the 2011 Antwerp Diamond Conference, government and industry leaders, representatives of the diplomatic corps and members of Antwerp’s diamond community. The Dinner is slated on May 23, at the Waagnatie.

Mr. Powell served as the 65th Secretary of State of the United States during the first administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, as National Security Advisor to U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and as Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993. He was also dedicated for 35 years in the U.S. Army, finally serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.

The Gala Dinner will have agenda of entertainment with a five-act extravaganza, complete with musicians, singers, dancers and contortionists, highlighting the origins, mystery and glamour of diamonds. A runway fashion show and a cyber-disco, at the centre of which a six-sided screen will display images evoking the universality of the diamond are also planned at the event.

The Antwerp Diamond Conference 2011 is scheduled between May 23-24 at the Waagnatie. The theme of the Conference is “Diamonds 2020: A window to the future,”. Its agenda is focused on identifying and understanding trends and factors that could possibly impact the diamond business in the next decade and the alternative strategies which the industry and individual companies could adopt to avoid risk and maximise business opportunity. Members of the diamond industry pipeline will participate in the Conference to discuss three main themes: diamond industry financing, the rough diamond industry, and the polished diamond industry. A one-on-one interview with Diamond Trading Company Managing Director Varda Shine is also slated.