IIJS 2007 Set to Open on Larger and More Organized Scale

IIJS 2007, to be held in Mumbai August 30–September 3, will have 740 exhibitors from 22 countries in 1581 stalls, spread out over a 50,000 sq meter area. This represents a 15 percent growth over last year. According to GJEPC chairman Sanjay Kothari, the show this year has been organized in seven distinct product sections to facilitate buyers.

The jewelry show will have five country pavilions – Thailand, Dubai, Antwerp, Turkey and Hong Kong. The UAE, Vietnam and Spain are among the countries that will be represented at the show for the first time.

A total of 15,400 visitors have pre-registered, a 40 percent growth over last year. Together with the 1,500 foreign visitors, delegations and on-the-spot registrations, the organizers expect about 25,000 people during the five days of the show.

“The IIJS is today the 5th largest show in the world,” said Kothari. “We hope to take it to the third or even second position in the next few years.”

Kothari said that the show has become an important platform for the growth of business and the country’s exports. It is an event where many of the country’s leading companies chose to launch new collections and brands as well, he pointed out.

He also announced IIJS Signature Show, a by-invitation-only fair to be launched in February in Goa, India’s most popular holiday destination.

In a one-on-one conversation after a press conference announcing the IIJS news, Kothari said that India’s leading and select retailers would be invited to the new show, as well as foreign buyers. The IIJS Signature Show will comprise of only 250 exhibitors, due to space constraints. “We will shortly draw up a criterion for selecting exhibitors,” Kothari said.