Vicenza– A sensitive barometer for trends on the international markets, Vicenzaoro2 2006 felt the effects of the current unhappy economic period due to a combination of critical factors, the first being record increases in raw materials. This is the explanation for the restricted volume of business recorded by exhibiting companies and the overall 6% drop in numbers of buyers compared to Vicenzaoro2 2005; all things considered not such a huge drop given that this year the event lasted one day less. In brief, Vioro2 registered 12,000 buyers from 104 countries in confirmation of the still strong level of internationalisation at this appointment in Vicenza. Positive feedback from the board of exhibitors regarding work by the Fair: from organisation of 32 trade delegations from 27 countries (a total of over 600 buyers), to the collaboration with QVC, the world’s most important telesales network, which sold 12 million dollars’ worth of Italian jewellery to the USA and 170,000 pounds’ worth to the United Kingdom via three satellite programmes live from Palazzo Colleoni in Thiene. Results in terms of interest and presence of the “media” were good, with 62 Italian and 80 foreign journalists from 26 countries. Not to be forgotten, among the many appointments at the 2006 edition of Vicenzaoro2, was a first-time appearance in Vicenza by the Diamond Trading Company sightholders, here to create new trade and marketing opportunities for Italian trade operators, in-depth analysis of the Chinese market by the World Gold Council and the many specialist conventions dedicated to the topics of design, innovation and relaunching of the sector.