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Industry News: 24 Karat Club Banquet Draws Top Talent; Vicenza Fair Attendance Up January 28, 2020 (0 comments)
24 Karat Club Moves Banquet To Sheraton; Hosts Winner of Britain’s Got Talent
New York, NY—The jewelry industry’s New Year doesn’t begin on January 1; it really begins with the Twenty-Four Karat Club of the City of New York’s annual banquet, a prestigious grand gala where the industry’s top leaders gather in their finest to dine, dance and, hopefully, celebrate the conclusion of a good holiday season. This year’s Banquet was held January 11 at the Sheraton New York Times Square, marking another new venue for the storied Banquet, which traditionally was held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Image: Hechler
This year’s headline entertainment was Calum Scott, a singer-songwriter and winner of Britain’s Got Talent. As is tradition, the entertainment was kept under wraps until the evening of the event. The Club briefly dropped its tradition in 2018 and 2019 and announced the entertainment in advance, but Club members expressed a wish to return to the traditional surprise this year.
Calum Scott performing. Image: Hechler
Other Club traditions remained intact for the evening: the mingling of guests at various cocktail suites hosted by Club members prior to the seated dinner, the formal procession of both Club and industry leaders to take their seats on the dais, the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner by the West Point Cadets, and the annual interfaith invocation, this year delivered by Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Rosen of the Persian Jewish Community of Manhattan.
Following the dinner and entertainment, Club members could return to the same hospitality suites that were open for cocktails, or proceed to one of two after-parties: a quiet lounge with jazz, or the annual Midnight Bash, an immensely popular DJ dance party which lasted into the wee hours.
“The evening was a tremendous success,” said Banquet chair Myriam Gumuchian. “Guests were still reveling and dancing the night away at the Bash when the event closed after 1 a.m.”
Separately, the Club announced its slate of officers for the upcoming year, installed during the Club’s annual holiday luncheon in December. Jeffrey Fischer was re-elected for his third term as chair; Robert Kempler was elected vice-chair; Stewart Wicht was elected president; and Edward Decristofaro was elected vice president. The Club’s next gathering will be its annual Beefsteak Dinner, (a members-only event) set for March.
“It’s a monumental task to organize and coordinate such an event for approximately 1000 guests,” said Fischer. “Kudos to the Banquet Committee for an outstanding success. A great time was had by all!”
Vicenzaoro January Sees Surge In Attendance
Vicenza, Italy—The Vicenzaoro January show closed last week with 1,500 brand exhibitors and over 35,000 attendees, the highest number of the last 10 years.
The Show, which incorporates both a finished jewelry exhibition and T.GOLD, the international show for machinery and technology, also this year debuted VO Vintage, a new exclusive marketplace for vintage watches and jewelry.
The event is organized by the Italian Exhibition Group and held at the Expo Centre in Vicenza. Attendees came from 126 countries worldwide, with domestic attendance from Italy up 12%.
Attendance from the United States was up 30% year-on-year compared to 2019. Japanese visitors climbed 22% and European visitors (ex-Italy) rose 9%. Priority topics for IEG were sustainability, creativity and innovation, which opened the roster of events and seminars.
Upcoming shows on IEG’s calendar include OROAREZZO, April 18-21; Vicenzaoro September 5-9, and VOD Dubai International Jewellery Show in the autumn.