«Our customers are the exhibitors (each edition of VicenzaOro alone is worth 10 million euros) but above all they are the buyers who must immediately find what they are looking for: they cannot wander from one pavilion to another looking for the same type of supplier. So we have reorganized the 12 kilometers of corridors of VicenzaOro according to a more dynamic and rational distribution of goods, attentive to international demand». Corrado Facco, a graduate of Padua in Law and Economics, a super sportsman (skiing, trekking, sailing), general manager of the Vicenza Fair by vocation (he returned four years ago after having been general secretary until 2007), previews to Gioiellis.com the strategies and next moves of the largest European event dedicated to jewelry, together with Baselworld. Facco speaks on the occasion of the presentation of the new exhibition format of VicenzaOro, renamed VicenzaOro The Boutique Show (23-28 January 2015). In practice, no longer a puzzle of high jewelry together with private label producers or chain factories, but six well-defined districts based on the positioning of individual buyers and purchasing groups.
Question. It’s a kind of revolution in a very traditional sector.
Answer. It’s only partly true: the world of jewelry is changing. Many feel the need to break down the psychological barriers of customers to entering the store, the fear that holds them back. Product diversification is the most suitable tool. Therefore, those who come to Vicenza do so to find new or additional sales opportunities and want to maximize the time available. With the new format they will have more time available.
Q. But this way the exhibitors find themselves close to their competitors. How did you manage to convince them?
A. In fact, there was some resistance at the beginning, but then they understood the advantages of the new layout. For example, each of the three jewelry districts, Icon, Creation and Look, corresponds to a set of values that immediately characterize the space and the exhibitor. So, not only greater visibility, but also the possibility of personalising the brand in a specific area, which inevitably leads to an enhancement of the company’s identity.
Q. However, there are those who have wondered why investing in an innovation and internationalisation project and then organising a replica of the event in Dubai is not a risk of cannibalising VicenzaOro?
A. First of all, it was the Dubai World Trade Centre, therefore the government of the Emirates, that proposed this joint venture to us among all the fairs in the world. I think it is an important recognition of our know-how. Furthermore, it is not a replica of the new fair in January because it will be smaller and since we will be the ones selecting the exhibitors, we will have the situation under control. However, it would be wrong not to see it as an opportunity, also in view of Expo 2020. Not to mention that it would have been a risk not to seize the proposal on the fly.
Q. Is it an opportunity because it is a bridge to the Middle East? Wouldn’t it be better to continue to bring buyers to Italy?
A. Be careful, Dubai is also a bridge to Africa, a rapidly growing market. And, in addition, there is a large portion of buyers who do not arrive in Italy due to visa problems. I am thinking of those who come from eastern countries between Asia and Europe, who instead fly without any obstacles to Dubai. In short, it is a question of broadening the pool of potential customers. And in these times it is vital.
Q. And what would the risk have been?
A. It is obvious, competition. I will ask you a question: in a territory that alone imports 1.2 billion euros of precious Made in Italy items, is it better for Fiera di Vicenza or its Chinese counterpart to work with the institutions?
