Press Release For Immediate Publication 9th SIGNATURE IIJS

Press Release
For Immediate Publication
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9 SIGNATURE IIJS COMMENCES 2016 BUYING SEASON WITH INDIA’S FINEST JEWELLERY ON
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15,000 VISITORS FROM 370 INDIAN CITIES & 55 COUNTRIES ACCESS OVER 580 EXHIBITORS
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IGJME, ASIA’S LARGEST, EXHIBITS LATEST IN G&J TECHNOLOGY
Mumbai, 5 February, 2016: The Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) presented the
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trade with two wonderful opportunities to commence the Year’s buying season with the 9 edition of
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Signature IIJS and the 3 edition of India Gem & Jewellery Machinery Expo (IGJME). Chief Guest Shri
Subhash Desai, Hon. Minister of Industries, Maharashtra, unveiled Signature IIJS 2016 in the presence of
GJEPC Chairman Shri Praveenshankar Pandya, Guest of Honour Shri Andrey Zharkov (President,
Alrosa, Russia Federation), Guest of Honour Shri Manoj Dwivedi (Jt. Secretary, Union Ministry of
Commerce, Government of India), Shri Russell Mehta (Vice Chairman, GJEPC), Shri Saunak Parikh
(Convener – Exhibitions – National, GJEPC) and Shri Sabyasachi Ray (Executive Director, GJEPC).
SIGNATURE IIJS unveiled the most coveted premium jewellery and jump-started the new buying season
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from 5 – 8 February, 2016 at Bombay Exhibition Centre. This year, the 3 edition of India Gem &
Jewellery Machinery Expo (IGJME) is introduced in Mumbai in conjunction with SIGNATURE IIJS on the
same dates and venue.
Addressing the inaugural session, GJEPC Chairman Praveenshankar Pandya said, “India's predominant
leadership position in diamonds is known world over. Business expertise and craftsmanship in diamonds
and jewellery is inherent to the trade, passed through generations, that makes it unique. With 3 million
workforce employed directly, industry accounts for 13% to the merchandise exports. This is a true
testimony of make in India. In spite of sluggish global demand, and rough diamond prices affecting the
profitability, there is fair amount of optimism for the coming season. GJEPC has urged the government
with recommendations in the policy to enhance ease of doing business, with special turnover tax regime
for the trade, interest subvention scheme & MIES, sale through SNZ, VAT and state SEZ policy. GJEPC
has been proposing for a convention centre in Mumbai, which is the need of the hour. The Council also
aims to integrate the SME manufacturers of gold and diamonds under one roof in state-of-the-art
Jewellery Park. We are committed to continue the market leadership both in diamonds and jewellery. ”
Shri Subhash Desai, Hon. Minister of Industries, Maharashtra Government, said, “The gems and jewellery
trade is a jewel in India’s crown and initiatives such as Bharat Diamond Bourse, the world’s largest
diamond business hub, put Maharashtra in the forefront in the global gems & jewellery business. The new
Government’s approach is different and progressive and we are serious about stimulating ease of
business. We are engaging bureaucracy to reduce clearances/ permits, end Inspector Raj and
harassment. Our strength is our skilled manpower and we are taking steps to enhance skill development
and employability. We are working closely with bodies such as GJEPC to revise SEZ policies; create an
Industrial Park soon and an international convention centre in the State.”
Shri Manoj Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry for Commerce, said, “India’s gems and jewellery
trade is dynamic, innovative and hardworking and that’s how it has achieved 70-80% of the world
leadership in key business segments. The two events SIGNATURE IIJS and IGJME cover the entire
gamut of the industry. The Government of India is very keen to promote the gems and jewellery sector
because of the twin benefits of employment generation and enhancing export earnings. We hope
Maharashtra State provides a good eco-system to the gems and jewellery businesses so as to help
realize the potential.”
Shri Andrey Zharkov, President, Alrosa (Russia Federation), said, “It’s a great honour to jumpstart the
annual buying season with SIGNATURE IIJS and IGJME 2016 in Mumbai, the world’s capital of the
diamond business. Alrosa’s supply of diamonds to India has been growing steadily since 2010. Last year
we did business of USD 1.5 bn in India, which is 45% of the total sales. The growth in our share of
business was achieved inspite of the overall slowdown in demand. The number of long term buyers has
increased to 12. The Special Notified Zone, initiated by GJEPC, has been a welcome move and will help
in augmenting bilateral trade especially helping small-to-medium sized enterprises. Alrosa has been
collaborating with GJEPC for various programmes including exchange of information, Kimberley Process,
natural & synthetic stones, etc., and we look forward to working with the new GJEPC team. One of the
main challenges is stimulating demand for diamonds with a generic emotional and symbolic consumer
campaign to target Gen-Next buyers. The diamond trade is looking at several initiatives starting this year.”
Thanking all the sponsors, partners and vendors, Shri Saunak Parikh, Convener, Exhibitions - National,
GJEPC, said, “This is the first time that we are conducting two shows SIGNATURE IIJS and IGJME 2016
simultaneously in the beginning of the year. SIGNATURE IIJS caters to the sourcing needs of India’s
leading jewellery retailers and provides them a platform to view future styles and trends and replenish
their inventory. IGJME showcases the latest product innovation and technological advancements to boost
the quality and quantity of production requirements. Trade can get access to the entire spectrum of the
business, new ideas, cutting edge technology, innovation and networking. This helps identify various
opportunities of growth and channelize energies to stimulate growth.”
SIGNATURE IIJS is India’s top-of-the-line jewellery show, showcasing the best jewellery collections by
the country’s leading manufacturers. Restricted to about 580+ exhibitors, the focus is on product –
jewellery of the highest standards of design, craftsmanship and finish. Covering an exhibition area of
30,000 sq. mts., Signature IIJS witnesses’ visitors from more than 375 Indian cities and around 55
countries. The visitor pre-registration has already shown an approximate increase of 10% over last year
and it is expected that Signature IIJS will have more than 15,000 trade visitors including top 2,000
retailers of the country. This year, the overseas visitor registration too has witnessed a steep increase of
about 20% when compared to last year indicating the growing importance of the show across the globe to
source exquisite jewellery. The ‘on the spot’ registration facility is expected to increase visitor footfall
significantly.
The show, which features well defined sections of Diamonds, Gemstones and studded Jewellery in
addition to International, this year, the Gold section will be further extended to accommodate more
number of exhibitors under this category. The main highlight of the show is the Signature Club which
showcases the most exquisite couture jewellery by the leading Manufacturers of the Country.
Buyer delegations from countries like UK, Japan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan,
Bangladesh & Nepal amongst others will be visiting the show. Technology & Educative Seminars are also
being organised for the first two days of the show.
Signature IIJS provides a perfect platform for the country’s leading manufacturers and retailers to
facilitate an exchange of market insights and knowledge, providing networking opportunities for business.
In addition to that, an exclusive ‘By Invitation Only’ Networking Evening has been organised for exhibitors
and buyers to further explore business opportunities and strengthen existing business ties.
Concurrently, the visitors will get to witness IGJME, Asia’s largest gem & jewellery technology fair. IGJME
is a strategic initiative of GJEPC planned to help manufacturers to witness new ideas, discover innovative
technical know-how and learn cutting-edge techniques in production. The revolutionary technology
exhibited at the show is expected to drastically improve the quality of the products while minimizing the
raw material wastage at the same time.
Covering an area of 7000 Sq. mtrs, IGJME will provide an opportunity to interact with around 140 leading
suppliers of machinery, tools, components, packaging accessories and allied products from all over the
globe, who will showcase cutting edge technology, such as laser machines, computerized yield planning
machines, advanced bruiting lathes, diamond impregnated scaife, etc. For the first time, IGJME
introduces Italian Pavilion with 26 exhibitors along with Turkey pavilion which has 10 exhibitors. Other
overseas exhibitors include from countries like USA, Germany, UAE, China & Israel.
For more details, logon to: www.iijs-signature.org/www.gjepc.org/igjme
About GJEPC
The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) was set up by the Ministry of Commerce and
industry, Government of India (GoI) in 1966. It was one of several Export Promotion Councils (EPCs)
launched by the Indian Government, to boost the country’s export thrust, when India’s post-Independence
economy began making forays in the international markets. Since 1998, the GJEPC has been granted
autonomous status. The GJEPC is the apex body of the gems & jewellery industry and today it represents
over 6,000 exporters in the sector. With headquarters in Mumbai, the GJEPC has Regional Offices in
New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Surat and Jaipur, all of which are major centres for the industry. It thus has
a wide reach and is able to have a closer interaction with members to serve them in a direct and more
meaningful manner. Over the past decades, the GJEPC has emerged as one of the most active EPCs,
and has continuously strived to both expand its reach and depth in its promotional activities as well as
widen and increase services to its members.
For more information on the release contact: Karina Dua (Adfactors PR) - Contact No - 09619437671
Email Id - karina.dua@adfactorspr.com