Clement Sabbagh Reports on the Work at ICA

Dear friends,

While it may have been a fairly quiet July and August in the gem trade, all of us at ICA have been busy working for you.

We have just finished the JCK Las Vegas Show at the Sands Convention Center and Venetian Hotel. This was the first in-person trade show for an ICA pavilion in over a year. Our staff worked closely with member exhibitors and with JCK to make sure that our members had a safe and secure place to do business. Despite the lower attendance, the feedback we’ve received from exhibitors were overall positive with the presence of qualified buyers. JCK is finalizing a post-show report and we will soon have official data to share with all our ICA members.

Helen Molesworth is busy working on her first edition of InColor Magazine as our new Editor in Chief. We anticipate sending InColor to you by November. There is still time to advertise in the magazine and share your support for ICA. Contact the office if you are interested. There are many advertising options and the office is always open to working with you to find the best plan for your company and your marketing needs.

Our Congress Committee has been busy working on the details with Lucas Lu, Vice President of the Shuibei Jewelry Group, and chair of the China Congress Committee for our 2022 Shenzhen China Congress. We are very excited about plans for networking with important Chinese gem trade members, and how simultaneous translations will be available for all conversations throughout the entire event.

Our ICA branding initiative is in full blast. The first phase of the project has been accomplished and helped us determine the direction our members envision for ICA. We are now the second phase which will translate these findings into a relevant brand positioning of our Association amongst the industry. We anticipate that we may soon have a new look for ICA’s communication which will help us better promote our industry in future initiatives.

Our Gems Keep Giving Fund (GKG) now has two very promising projects looking for our support. One is in Sri Lanka, and the other in Kenya. Both are similar in scope showing needs for basic education and healthcare. Our fund has been supported by generous donations from JCK, as well as our ICA pavilion exhibitors. We hope to have further details soon for those who would like to contribute.

Finally, I would just like to say that we could not be doing all of this for our trade if it were not for your strong support throughout the year. We thank you very much for your membership and your trust in ICA to help promote the global gemstone trade.