A three day glittering trade extravaganza of India’s prime jewellers by UBM India
by Suman Gupta
Mumbai, : UBM India, the largest organizer of jewellery fairs in India, commenced its preview B2B jewellery fair in the financial capital – the Mumbai Jewellery & Gem Fair (MJGF) at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai. The expo is well-supported by prominent jewellery associations – GJC, Mumbai Wholesale Gold Association, Surat Jewellery Association, Gem & Jewellery Association Rajkot and Kerala Association.
The 3 day fair was inaugurated by Chief Guest –Shri. A.K.Jha, Jt. Director General of Foreign Trade, & Addl. Director General of Foreign Trade Mumbai; Special Guest – Shri. Mrugank M. Paranjape, Managing Director & CEO, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd, Mumbai; Shri Rajendra Jain, Managing Director, Swarovski Gemstones; Shri Saiyam Mehra, Director, All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC); Shri Prakash Jain, President, Mumbai Wholesale Gold & Jewellery Association; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India and Mr. Abhijit Mukherjee, Group Director, UBM India in the presence of other dignitaries from the jewellery trade industry.
The expo is an excellent platform for jewellery wholesalers, retailers, importers and exporters, jewellery manufacturers, diamond, gemstone, pearl suppliers and traders, precious metal and jewellery mounting traders and suppliers, machinery manufacturers and representatives from various trade and governmental organizations, to come under one roof to meet, connect, network and grow their businesses. The fair has delegate representatives from Tier I, II and III cities in neighboring and other regions.
Mumbai is the international hub of the jewellery industry in India that focuses on trends and offers an apt platform to showcase classic creations. To leverage the market, the MJGF featured Hosted Buyers, Buyer – Seller Meets, Artisan’s Gallery displaying unique and miniature gold jewellery, Designer Conclave, Knowledge Seminars and Exclusive Exhibitor Promotions to ensure quality audience and opportunities for continuous engagements with customers.
One of the highlights of the show is the 2nd edition of the gala India’s Most Preferred (IMP) night and networking dinner to felicitate the most respected brands in the jewellery sector, scheduled to take place on the evening of Day 1. The unique IMP seeks to discover customers’ favoured jewellery brands through a survey based on vital parameters such as jeweller trust factor, collection & range of products, brand recommendation, service quality, and overall brand recognition and recall. Some of the top brands recognized by the industry are HK Jewels, Derawalas, Laxmi Diamonds, Rosy Blue and Kamaschter amongst others.
Scheduled for Day 2 and 3, are technical seminars by Gem and Jewellery Skill Council India, HP INC and Retail Gurukul – the Knowledge Partner on topics such as ‘Z Solutions for Gem and Jewellery Vertical’; ‘Best Practices in Retailing’; ‘What Will Make Indian Gems and Jewellery Industry a True World Leader?’ and ‘Digital Experiences’.
Some of the prominent exhibitors at the fair include Unique Chains, De Beers, Blue stone, Mukti Gold, Jai Gulab Dev, Bhindi jewelers, Agarwal Gems, Bhawani Gold, Forevermark Diamonds Private Limited, Godrej, Gold Craft India, Gold Mine Aarzu, Mahek Gold, Mangalmani Jewellers Pvt Ltd., Noraah Jewels Private Limited, Rajeshree Creations, Rosetta Diamond Jewellery Private Limited, S K Seth Company Jewellers, Silver Emporium, Soni Nanalal Bechardas Jewellers, South India Jewellers, and Sukh Bangles & South India Jewellers Chennai, to name a few.
The MJGF is one of the five-city jewellery shows (Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi) that is hosted throughout the year by UBM India. Internationally, UBM plc organises the World’s Biggest Jewellery Trade Event – The Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.
Speaking at the inauguration of MJGF 2018, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “The Jewellery and gem industry plays an integral role in the Indian economy. With the industry having gone through volatile times in the last couple of years, the government is expected to come up with a comprehensive gold policy that includes promoting upscale infrastructure, complying with global standards and the possibility of reducing import duties on gold from 10 per cent to 4 per cent to create ease of doing business for jewellers and to avoid any obstruction that could arise from tied up working capitals. The Mumbai Jewellery and Gem Fair is timed perfectly for the industry to congregate near the end of the year and seeks solutions for challenges that the upcoming year might impose. As a gateway to the Indian Jewellery market, MJGF specially focuses on the bustling metropolis of Mumbai and surrounding states of Gujarat and Rajasthan that have a rich legacy of jewellery.”
He added, “Given UBM’s global and domestic exposure and experience, we encourage new technology enhancements and continuous innovations through myriad activities such as awards, conferences, road shows, due diligence campaigns, luxury and mini shows that further create relevant conversations around the sector and our show. Accordingly, we are hosting content rich seminars as well as India’s Most Preferred initiative in jewellery to felicitate the most preferred brands on the MJGF show floor.”
Dignitary speak:
Shri. Mrugank M. Paranjape, Managing Director & CEO, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd, Mumbai: I would like to congratulate UBM India for the outstanding effort in bringing together the jewellery industry in Mumbai with this preview edition of MJGF. It is indeed a great opportunity to connect and network. Gold is still the best hedge against inflation. And I would request the community to create products in terms of price hedge.
Shri Prakash Jain, President, Mumbai Wholesale Gold and Jewellery Association: I think UBM India has done a good job with organising the MJGF. This is the heartland of the sector and an endeavour like this was necessary. We look forward to many more such new ventures in partnership with UBM India.
Shri. A.K.Jha, Jt. Director General of Foreign Trade, o/o Addl. Director General of Foreign Trade Mumbai: I have attended so many jewellery shows in the city but the MJGF is unique. What makes it different is the sheer number and variety of activities onsite to engage the community. The jewellery sector provides a big boost for employment and Forex earnings. With shows such as this, UBM India is helping to create a lot of jobs and opportunities in the Gem & Jewellery sector.
Shri Rajendra Jain, Managing Director, Swarovski Gemstones: We have had a long collaboration with UBM , including at the Hong Kong Jewellery Fair. With their plethora of jewellery fairs globally and in India, they have immense expertise and are the world’s best events organisers. It is a great move to have the show back in Mumbai.
Shri Saiyam Mehra, Director, All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC): Consumers come from all across India to buy jewekkery from Mumbai so I am happy to see the very well-organized preview edition of MJGF. By supporting this industry and its business, our karigars and factories get more orders. I would recommend that we should target retailers and wholesalers from more remote parts and showcase more varieties of jewellery.
