(IDEX Online) - The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) in Mumbai says more than 300 visitors from India and overseas have already registered for the second edition of the Bharat Diamond Week at the bourse, to take place from October 8-10. Hundreds more buyers are expected to register in the countdown to the expanded polished diamond fair. The inaugural show, held from April 23-25, was attended by more than 1,000 visitors from India and across the world who did business with 100 Indian exhibitors of polished goods.
In addition, the BDB is providing flight tickets to selected buyers to create more sales opportunities for the 100 Indian polished diamonds companies who will be exhibiting at the show. The buyers who have been selected are from Turkey, Thailand and India. The bourse will also be providing 150 rooms for international buyers at a hotel close to the showgrounds.
Bharat Diamond Bourse Vice-President Mehul Shah, who heads the Bharat Diamond Week project, said: "As part of our strategy for creating a show that will provide many more sales opportunities for our diamond manufacturing and exporting firms, we have carefully chosen major buyers who we want to see at the Bharat Diamond Week. We want them to become acquainted with our exhibitors, and with the Indian diamond industry in general. That is why we decided to bring 50 select buyers here."
BDB President Anoop Mehta said: "Registration for the show is moving ahead strongly, and we expect to see a larger number of visitors/buyers than at the first edition. For any foreign firms that have not been to India before, I would say this is a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. They will be able to visit scores of Indian firms exhibiting at the show displaying a huge range of diamonds in all sizes, shapes and colours. In addition, they will have the opportunity to visit the Bharat Diamond Bourse and understand the enormous variety of business opportunities and suppliers available to them."
Meanwhile, Mr Mehta reiterated that with India being the world's largest diamond manufacturing centre, and the show is being held before Diwali, visitors will find competitively priced diamonds. "Those buyers looking for pre-Diwali bargains will find it a highly attractive time to visit the show. With the Diwali festival starting at the beginning of November, traders will be looking to sell goods ahead of the closure of business for the holiday."
Mr Shah said that a new feature at the October fair will be on site facilities for checking for diamonds created using the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method. "It is critical for our business that consumer confidence in our products remains intact. This is absolutely paramount. Consequently, we will have a display of equipment for the detection of such stones so that diamantaires can see the equipment available, how straightforward it is to operate, and the financial outlay involved."
He added that October will be a busy month for the Bharat Diamond Bourse and the Indian diamond trade, with many members of the global diamond industry visiting Mumbai. "Following the Bharat Diamond Week, we will be holding a meeting of the World Diamond Council on October 22 which is being organised by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), and then we are hosting the World Diamond Congress from October 23 to 25. We are delighted to be able to hold the meetings here because it is critical that the global diamond industry meets every year to discuss the major issues affecting it. We will also be holding a Bharat Diamond Week in New York from October 29 to 31."
Registration for the show is available at www.bharatdiamondweek.org and the BDB said it is recommending that members of the diamond community worldwide do so as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment.