ICA Extends 2009 Congress Dates

• Schedule of Events in China Call For Six-Day Format
• ICA expecting largest number of attendees to date

New York, July 14, 2008 – The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) announced the decision to extend the 2009 ICA Congress in China to a six-day format due to the extensive agenda in Panyu, Guangzhou - China’s largest jewelry manufacturing area. Traditionally, ICA Congresses have adhered to a five-day format, which has been the case since 1985 when the first Congress was held in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The 2009 ICA Congress is expected to draw the largest number of attendees to date.

The Congress agenda will be extended to include another day, with official dates from May 5-10, 2009. This includes 4 days of sessions with speakers from around the world, excursions, registration days and golf and tennis tournaments.

ICA president Andrew Cody said in a statement, “In setting the agenda for the ICA Congress in Panyu, we discovered that the number of speakers, discussion sessions and activities could not be scheduled into our usual five-day format.”

ICA Congress Chairman Edward Boehm remarked that, “Excitement is already building as we set the agenda for bringing the world of gemstones to China. It was a unanimous decision between our Congress Committee and our sponsors to extend the Congress to six days to accommodate the speaking sessions, excursions and scheduled activities.”

Sponsors for the ICA Congress 2009 are the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC) in Beijing, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Panyu Branch and Woldmart Jewelry & Gems Emporium (HK) Ltd.

Barbara Wheat
Executive Director

International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA)
19 W. 21st St, Suite 705
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 1-212-620-0900
Fax: 1-212-352-9054
ica(at)gemstone.org
www.gemstone.org
ICA 2009 Congress to be held in Panyu, China

Welcome to the ICA Congress 2009 in Panyu, China

March 20, 2008, New York - The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) signed a memorandum of understanding on March 10th in Beijing with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Panyu Branch to hold the 2009 ICA Congress in Panyu, located in Guangzhou.

Mr. Li Zhi-Wei, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Panyu Branch and Mr. Prida Tiasuwan, ICA Vice-President, signed the MOU in the presence of Mr. Sun Feng Min, Secretary-General of the Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China (GAC) and Ms. Ke Jie, Vice-Director of the National Gemstone Testing Centre (NGTC), who will chair the congress. Mr. Johnny Chan, Chairman of Worldmart and Mr. Mickey Weinstock, Special Jewelry Advisor to the Panyu Government were appointed to organize the event.  Over 1,000 delegates, of which 600 will be international participants and 400 from Hong Kong and China, are expected to attend.

In recent years the jewelry industry in the Panyu area has grown to include nearly 400 enterprises employing more than 70,000 workers. In 2007 the total value of domestic export was US$1.32 billion dollars. In the coming years Panyu intends to intensify efforts to promote its jewelry industry, focusing especially on colored gemstones.

Following the ICA’s 2007 Congress in Dubai, Panyu won the bid over several candidate cities to host the next congress in China. This will be the largest jewelry industry conference to ever be held in China. To prepare for this important event the Panyu government has decided to name 2008 “The year of the Panyu colored gemstone industry."

Past ICA congresses, which have been held in Dubai, Thailand, India, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United States, Israel, Japan, Brazil, Italy and Australia, have been very successful. The purpose of next spring's congress is to provide an occasion to discuss the issues that face the colored gemstone and jewelry industry, to provide a networking opportunity for ICA members, and international delegates and allow participants and industry members from numerous nations to meet.

The ICA's decision to hold its 2009 congress in Panyu illustrates the district’s growing importance in the international gemstone and jewelry industry


Regards,

Barbara Wheat
Executive Director

International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA)
19 W. 21st St, Suite 705
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 1-212-620-0900
Fax: 1-212-352-9054
ica(at)gemstone.org
www.gemstone.org





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ICA PRESS RELEASE
ICA Signs MOU with the CCPIT Panyu Branch to Promote Colored Gemstones in China
September 29, 2007
Hong Kong - The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Panyu Branch have signed a Memorandum of Understanding during a visit by an ICA delegation to Panyu, Guangzhou during the Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair.

The signing of the MOU coincides with the CCPIT's initiative announcing 2008 as the Thematic Year of Colored Stone Promotion....[more]

The International Colored Gemstone Association, headquartered in New York City and operating additional "GemBureaus" in Idar-Oberstein and Dubai, is the nonprofit trade association that represents the international colored gemstone industry, an extremely important and influential segment of the jewelry business. ICA has over 500 members in 46 countries worldwide.