Surat: For the first time, diamond and jewellery connoisseurs in the Diamond City will not be able to visit the annual gems and jewellery event 'Sparkle' organized by Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) in association with Gujarat government.
This time around, the SGCCI has changed the format of the Sparkle event from B2C to B2B. However, only bulk buyers from across the country and abroad will be able to visit the event, with pre-registration and individual visitors will not be allowed at the venue.
Sparkle, which will be inaugurated by Andrei Zhiltsov, consulate general of Russian Federation in Mumbai, on Friday, will end on December 17. Around 72 units, including diamond and jewellery companies from India, mainly from Mumbai and Jaipur, are participating in the B2B event.
Also, the SGCCI has invited buyers from Dubai, Canada, Kuwait and many cities across the country, who will be directly making business deals with jewellery and diamond companies at the venue.
"We want to project Surat as an international sourcing hub for diamonds and jewellery. World-class Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) is coming up at Khajod in the next couple of years and buyers from across the world will visit the city to purchase polished diamonds. The B2B event of the SGCCI will go a long way in the coming years," said SGCCI president P M Shah.
Shah added, "We know this is the first year of the B2B event and we may not get the required support, but we are hoping for a successful start."
It must be remembered that out of 72 exhibitors, only five big diamond companies of the city are participating in Sparkle as most jewellery retailers and wholesalers in the city have distanced themselves from the event.
Only bulk buyers from across the country and abroad will be able to visit the event
