How is the format of Tritiya different from IIJS Premier or Signature?

We have taken all the segments in the jewellery industry - studded jewellery, gold jewellery, silver jewellery, diamond jewellery and lab-grown diamonds which will now be a separate section. The format itself may not be different but the timing is crucial, keeping Akshaya Tritiya in mind. It is a very important event for the southern region. Since the inception of IIJS, we have always had our base as Mumbai, but seeing that demand from the southern states is on an incline, to have another property in the south was definitely necessary. We already did on show in Bangalore in 2021 and that was a huge success. The venue was very nice, people were very happy, facilities were good, so we know that this time also, the show will be a success.

What would you consider as some of the highlights of the show?

GJEPC is always committed to bringing the best to its stakeholders. Last time, we identified that transportation was a challenge for people and they found it cumbersome to reach the venue. So, in this edition, we have made a lot of different transport arrangements, right from airports to all the hotels and then back to the venue. We have increased the number of transportations like buses and cars. Also, the frequency of vehicles is going to be much more. In terms of parking arrangements, for people who are coming with their own transportation, we are giving them the option to prebook services and parking slots.

We have made a lot of different food arrangements; there are six different cafes inside the exhibition halls. We have created open air cafes as well with different cuisines. The show will also have big airconditioned food corners outside both the halls, specifically for lunch time. All these facilities will be available on the 16^th, one day prior to the show.

The show will also house a stationery store for the convenience of exhibitors. The exhibition inauguration presentation will happen inside the venue, which normally happens outside. The same place is later on going to be used for seminars.

Other than this, we have increased the number of entry points to ensure that navigation from one hall to the other happens easily without waiting time.

We have also launched the IIJS app, which will be a common app for all the shows. You can access it every day of the year with a lot of information for all the shows. This will be your go-to app for anything related to IIJS. One can download their entry pass, book hotels, download seminars, buy experience passes and so on. The app will have a 3D floor layout with directions.

We have also included a help desk feature on the app wherein if an exhibitor faces any challenges in terms of booth set up, lighting or other technical glitches, all they have to do is log into the app, and go to help desk to log a complaint. After selecting the issue, the exhibitor can sit back and relax while our team will take care of the issue.

How many buyers have registered for the show so far and what is your expectation in terms of overall footfalls?

The registered buyer count has already crossed 13,000. We expect it to cross 15,000 in the coming days. We have buyers from 600 different cities who will visit the show. We have an exclusive list of VVIP buyers, these include the big companies and chain stores.  Though this is a south centric show, surprisingly, we have many buyers who are coming in from North and West as well. Gold should be the focus of the show considering Akshaya Tritiya, but diamonds should do well too.

There has been a lot of focus on sustainability and environmental issues in your past shows – is there some similar initiative on the pipeline at Tritiya?

Sustainability is a way of life for us, it is not an option. We are trying to eliminate the use of plastic and flex. One of the reasons why we have introduced standardised booths is to eliminate waste. We have replaced tissue papers in the bathroom with hand dryers.  So, this will be a norm going forward.

If you had to sum up the advantages of being part of Tritiya show for both exhibitors and buyers, what would they be?

I am a diamond exhibitor myself. For us, the south market is a very big market. It is the hub for all chain stores like Joyallukas, Kalyan Jewellers and Tanishq. Exhibitors will meet most prominent senior management team members from these chain stores at the show, which they don’t normally get to do in Mumbai.

Secondly, suppliers can provide all their ready stock right in time for Akshaya Tritiya to retailers. I have spoken to a few large gold exhibitors and they are coming prepared with a lot of inventory. They expect the sales to be live at the show and they expect to sell a lot of goods.  The show might be at a nascent stage, but still, we are getting a tremendous response. We have a tie up with the venue for the next three years, and I expect the show to improve exponentially in the coming years.

For buyers, it is very easy for them to meet all the suppliers at one place where they can meet multiple gold suppliers, diamond suppliers, lab grown vendors or chains and findings suppliers. The venue is also great and very well laid out. In the next 2-3 years, this is going to be one of the most important events of the industry.

As the convenor of National Exhibitions, what is your vision for the gems and jewellery industry in India.

I personally feel that the gems and jewellery industry in India is in a best possible place. We are going to see an exponential growth going forward. The affinity towards gold and heritage jewellery continues with the newer generation too. Jewellery stores are also becoming organised and they are expanding. Every year, at least 300-500 stores are opening up. With e-commerce picking up, I see further potential for the stakeholders in the industry. So over all, the industry is poised to become one of the best in the world, and GJEPC will help in making this a reality.

IIJS Tritiya 2023 will take place in BEIC, Begaluru between 17-20 March, 2023.