Italian Exhibition Group has given the international gold and jewellery community a new home: Hall 2, in the heart of Vicenza Expo Centre. A twofold inauguration event: the September edition of IEG’s international trade show opened today with an overview of the sector’s state of the art, Vicenzaoro’s pivotal role for the international market and the Vicenza manufacturing district, and IEG’s ability to interpret the needs of the international community of sector operators and thus help shape the future of the gold and jewellery industry. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Hall 2 coincides with the tenth anniversary of the company that manages the Rimini and Vicenza Expo Centres.
The Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, sent a message: “In a context of elegance and excellence, the hallmarks of Made in Italy, this international B2B hub provides a platform for every segment of the sector: from fine jewellery to unbranded production, precious stones and the most innovative technologies for the industry, confirming Vicenza as the world capital of jewellery. The 2026 edition marks a particularly significant moment with the inauguration of the Expo Centre’s new hall: 23,000 square metres designed to the highest sustainability standards, capable of combining innovation with care for the environment, as has always been the case in the art of Italian goldsmithing.” (NB: the complete greeting can be found in attachment).
At the event’s opening ceremony, following a welcome address by IEG President Maurizio Ermeti, speeches were given by Giacomo Possamai, mayor of Vicenza; Andrea Nardin, President of the Province of Vicenza; Maria Cristina Squarcialupi, President of Federorafi Confindustria; Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director General for the Promotion of Italy and Economic Internationalization and Central Director for the Italian System and Investments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Matteo Zoppas, President of the Italian Trade Agency; Senator Mara Bizzotto, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Enterprise and
Made in Italy; and Marco Zecchinato, Veneto Regional Councillor for Interregional Cooperation, Regional Governance and Infrastructure.
Together with architect Volkwin Marg, founder of the Hamburg-based GMP studio which designed the new infrastructure, Maurizio Ermeti, President of Italian Exhibition Group, outlined the significance, function and potential that the new Hall 2 brings to the Expo Centre. A strategic investment that reinforces Vicenza’s role as a global hub for the sector. Easier access between all the various exhibition areas; the inclusion of the T.Gold technology exhibition inside the Expo grounds; and a new location for jewellery manufacturing companies, which are now exhibiting in the very heart of the facility.
«It is not often that an anniversary and a promise kept fall on the same day,» began Ermeti, «but that is what is happening here today for IEG. Investing in Vicenza to provide the jewellery industry not only with new facility, but also with a more functional Expo Centre. That was the promise made to this community in 2024. Today we are giving the city a more competitive trade show venue, ready for new exhibitions and further events organised by our conferences division. And I would like to take the title we have chosen for this ceremony – “the future takes shape” – quite literally. Despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties, we have decided to look ahead and build the future.»
THE EXPO CENTRE’S NEW HEART
Spanning 23,000 square metres over two levels, equipped with four escalators and new facilities for exhibitors and visitors, a restaurant and three bars, Hall 2 is now the new core of the entire complex. Completed strictly to schedule, the building directly connects Halls 1, 3, 4 and 6, optimising exhibition routes and enhancing the visitor experience. The new hall houses the communities for Italian and international jewellery manufacturing (Creation) and packaging and furnishings (Expression and Elements). Due to the new building, T.Gold has now moved inside the Expo Centre (Hall 4), finding a home under the same roof as Vicenzaoro for the first time. At previous editions and up until last January, it was held in Hall 9, outside the exhibition grounds. Particular attention has been paid to sustainability thanks to a 2 MW photovoltaic system able to contribute to the complex’s energy self-sufficiency when no events are taking place.
VICENZAORO IS INCREASINGLY INTERNATIONAL
«So, as of today until Tuesday, business for Made in Italy and international exhibitors, who account for 45% of the total, will be generated by the encounter between supply, with 1,300 brands from 40 countries, and demand, driven by buyers hosted under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency’s incoming programme as well as walk-in visitors,» announced IEG CEO, Corrado Peraboni. The 2026 edition began with the largest ever delegation of hosted buyers: 910 hosted buyers from 73 countries, 80% of whom in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency (up 33% compared with September 2025). The United States tops the list of hosted delegations, followed by the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia (on equal footing), China and Spain.
CIBJO CELEBRATES ITS FIRST 100 YEARS
Further enriching the Vicenzaoro September programme of events is the centenary congress of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, chaired by Gaetano Cavalieri, which as of this afternoon until 7th September, will bring around 500 international delegates to Vicenza, including key figures from manufacturing companies and the global retail sector.
VO VINTAGE OPENS TO THE PUBLIC AND VIOFF LIGHTS UP THE HISTORIC CENTRE
From today until 7th September 2026, VO Vintage, the event specifically for vintage and pre-owned jewellery and watches, will also be underway and open to the public with free admission (on prior registration on the website). The exhibition and marketplace, with a total of 53 dealers from Italy and abroad, confirms the Veneto city’s role as a leading centre for a sector that continues to grow and attract even young and very young people. The exhibition offer is accompanied by a packed schedule of talks and events.
Until 6th September, Vicenza and its historic centre will become a vast open-air stage with VIOFF – the Vicenzaoro off-show event. This year’s theme is Golden Road.
EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW, SATURDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER
Tomorrow, at 11.00 am in the Expo Centre’s Educational Hub, the programme will open with Inside TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting: The Method Behind the Jewellery Trendbook, an event presented by Paola De Luca, Creative Director and Co-Founder of TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting, together with the Research Team. In the afternoon, from 2.30 pm in the Educational Hub, a session entitled Hands, Sea, Memory. Coral as a model of Italian sustainability. An encounter with Enzo Liverino, organised by Assogemme. At 3.45 pm, again in the Educational Hub, the session entitled The jewellery sector facing the challenge of 2026: economic situation, raw materials and the geography of the districts, organised by Confindustria Federorafi. The debate will focus on the results of the recent survey on business sentiment, the economic data compiled by Intesa Sanpaolo on global jewellery production and exports, including Made in Italy products, as well as the evolutionary dynamics of precious raw materials.
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