Mbeki to be Keynote Antwerp Diamond Conference Speaker

Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, will deliver the keynote address at the 2004 Antwerp Diamond Conference at the gala dinner on November 15.

The November 15-16 conference will focus on the issue of consumer confidence in natural diamonds, and specifically the implications for the diamond business of the introduction of gem-quality synthetics into the market.

This will include the technical aspects of making synthetic stones and detecting them in the laboratory, the legal and ethical aspects, and the subject of marketing of synthetics alongside natural diamonds.

“President Mbeki has a personality with great charisma, so his first visit to Belgium will be an event worth remembering,” said Peter Meeus, HRD’s Managing Director.

“South Africa also serves as a pioneer on the African continent. As one of the most important diamond producers, the issue of consumer confidence in the natural product concerns the country directly. We couldn’t have had a better person than President Mbeki to set the tone at the gala dinner.”

The first Antwerp Diamond Conference was held in 2002 and focused on the rough distribution diamond pipeline. The keynote speakers were Festus Mogae, the president of Botswana, and Al Gore, the former vice president of the United States.

Last year’s conference looked at diamond marketing and branding and the keynote speech was delivered by Bill Clinton.