Better Than Even Imagined – FACETS Sri Lanka
“Most successful show in 30 years!” proclaimed the newspaper headlines.
With 70 exhibitors, 5,000 visitors, and 100 very serious buyers from 20 different countries, the 2023 FACETS gem & jewellery show was a huge success!
Altaf Iqbal, chairman of FACETS Sri Lanka, told the Daily News Sri Lanka, “The industry showed extreme courage when it decided to organize the exhibition, making it the first international event in Sri Lanka post crises, showcasing the island is safe and very open for business as usual.”
If you recall, the last FACETS show was in 2019. “Due to Covid, and the economic recession, we did not produce the show in 2020, 2021 or 2022,” says Roshen Weereratne, Head of Projects for FACETS. “This time it was a smaller show, but it was a premier show in a five star Hotel – the Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.”
And a very successful one for both the buyers and the sellers.
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Gem & Jewellery Association, Ajward Deen, told the paper, “In just three days, we have had sales and orders of over $10 million USD, which is not only significant, but also showcases the industry’s potential in being a large contributor of foreign exchange to the country, especially in these troubled times.”
“We had a fantastic response and feed back from both buyers and booth holders,” noted Weereratne. “Much better than we even imagined!”
