Vicenzaoro: the story of a fair with an international breath
Vicenza, also known as the “city of gold”, happens to be a real jewel.
Our city can already boast a good reputation for being the cradle of Palladio… but the latter’s architectures are not the only pearls it loves to show off. Over the years, it has become famous for the Gold Fair (Vicenzaoro), an international event, a point of reference for the goldsmith and jewelery sectors.
Continue reading the article to find out more about Vicenzaoro!
Vicenzaoro between history and tradition
According to tradition, the first documents regarding the prosperity of Vicenza’s goldsmith production date back to 1300 (precisely to 1399, i.e. the act of constitution of the Fraglia degli Orafi di Vicenza which at the time brought together as many as 150 craftsmen).
At the time, the skill of the Vicenza goldsmiths was already appreciated by the Venetian nobles and by the Church which, periodically, commissioned them to create extremely precious artefacts. Thanks to the increase in demand, the Vicenza goldsmith’s production began to evolve, causing the workshops in Vicenza and Bassano del Grappa to multiply.
However, the sector took off in the 1800s when, alongside the artisan workshops, real companies began to be born, small in size and generally family-run. In fact, they must be credited with having been able to project this art into the future, reaching very high levels of workmanship and always remaining at the peak of creativity over time. A centuries–old tradition, therefore, from the craftsman to the industry that has given Vicenza the title of “city of gold” and international fame.
Vicenza currently produces a third of the entire Italian goldsmith work!
Vicenzaoro today
For several years, Vicenzaoro has been the most important goldsmith trade fair in Italy and abroad. The numbers confirm its success: over 1,300 brands from 35 countries, always keeping the goldsmith tradition of this city at the center and becoming its most modern evolution.
The inevitable consequence was that Vicenza also became the home of the first Jewelery Museum in Italy (one of the few in the world!), which is housed in the Basilica Palladiana, created by Exhibition Group Spa with the support of the Municipality of Vicenza.
January 2023 edition – the real restart
The arrival of covid has affected the entire trade fair sector, including the gold fair: in 2020 both editions were skipped and instead restarted from September 2021, but with certain measures and restrictions to be respected.
From the point of view of the set-up, we can say that the real restart was seen from the edition that has just ended as for the three post-pandemic editions (September 2021 – March 2022 – September 2022) the stands created were pre-fitted stands (to meet the difficulties of the period), while for this first edition of 2023 the stands are once again personalized.
Manaly has followed the construction of 9 stands and some common areas of the fair. This involved a great deal of planning work but also internal planning and management, as all the stands belonged to the same event.
As always, the fair was sold out, filling all the pavilions and confirming all the major national and international exhibitors.
Did you like the story of Vicenzaoro? If you want to know more or if you need integrated consultancy for the design and construction of your stand, do not hesitate to contact us!
