EW caught up with Matteo Farsura, head of Italian Exhibition Group’s (IEG) luxury division, on the eve of the 44th edition of Oroarezzo (International Jewellery Exhibition), which takes place in Arezzo, eastern Tuscany, Italy, 10-13 May 2025. It is a key event in organiser IEG’s global Jewellery & Fashion platform (which includes Vicenzaoro, the leading international jewellery business hub in Europe that takes place in January and September).

When we met, Matteo Farsura’s trade show diary is open and packed with appointments right through to November. These appointments will take him from Italy to Singapore, on to Dubai and back to Italy.

Abroad, Farsura leads his exhibition team in organising JGT in Dubai (in partnership with Informa Markets) and SIJE in Singapore, which IEG recently acquired. He holds an MBA from the Italian CUOA business school, is a former rugby player turned coach, and, prior to joining IEG,  had a stint at one of Europe’s largest jewellery companies. He agreed to scrum down with EW before the jewells started to shine in Arezzo, and answered a few questions:

What are your initial thoughts prior to the 10 May inauguration of the 44th edition of Oroarezzo in the city that has become the export champion of Italian manufacturing?

The manufacturing district of Arezzo alone accounts for around 50% of Italian jewellery exports. Since 2023, it has benefited from Turkey’s massive purchases of mainly semi-finished precious metal products. Ankara is currently the number one destination for Arezzo’s production for a value of €4.7bn and represents a 61% market share. However, we live in uncertain times. The US tariffs, initially announced and then suspended, are not helping companies consolidate the magical moment that the manufacturing district is experiencing. And that is precisely where the trade show system plays an essential role.

Tariffs have no doubt further dramatised an already uncertain situation due to the steady rise in gold prices. In this context, are shows like Oroarezzo more important than ever?

First of all, despite the announced tariffs and the run on the price of gold, at Oroarezzo we have registered a 30% increase in US buyer attendance and we will be hosting them together with other nationalities in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency’s incoming programme.

Next, we should underline Oroarezzo’s role as a strategic platform for the market. We have summarised this distinctive role with the show strapline ‘Shaping Jewellery Ideas’. People come to Arezzo to choose and customise versatile white label production with leading Italian and, increasingly, foreign manufacturers. Here they can find technologies and machinery to optimise raw material consumption and respect the environment. And we bring these companies together with their foreign target markets as well.

Besides Turkey, where else does interest in Arezzo manufacturing come from now?

IEG has been helping the Arezzo district look at new markets such as, in particular, Egypt, Colombia, Argentina, Lebanon and Romania.

After Arezzo, the next stop for you is in Singapore. Then it will be the turn of Vicenzaoro September and JGT in Dubai in November. What does leading a team in this context mean?

Each of these shows in IEG’s Jewellery Agenda has its own identity. For some we feel the responsibility of a long history of successes, such as Vicenzaoro’s 71-year heritage – it is the world’s longest-running jewellery event. For others, like SIJE, we are working to refine the final result and make it consistent with our idea of jewellery shows that favour the buying experience. The success of each of these, Oroarezzo included, lies in the collective. Speaking as a sportsman, a good result is achieved when you synchronise clear roles, skills and mutual trust. The same thing goes for our team members at IEG, for our industrial partners, and for our stakeholders.

Source: www.exhibitionworld.co.uk