Heist of Rs. 6.6 Crs at IIJS 10;Thieves apprehended at Dubai next day!

Thank god, i had not written this blog post yesterday when the morning papers broke the news of the greatest heist in the history of IIJS when a group of 4 members stole loose diamonds worth 6.6crs from an Israel/ Hong Kong based exhibitor Dalumi. Besides making it the greatest heist in the history of IIJS in broad daylight, it also shed light on the pathetic state of security that is employed at the International exhibition of such scale.Anybody visiting the exhibition over the years know very well that most of the security guards employed are from private firms who do not have a clue about security. I for myself while entering the venue on Day 1, had to face the charade when in front of me the security fellow was being trained by his senior (?) how to frisk. The very basic of security functions. Anyway, cutting it short, what happened was waiting to happen as these highly professional international thieves ( 3 M & 1 Venezualean lady) had done a proper recee and were very well aware of the security inefficiencies. They also knew that if they could steal the diamonds some how there was no body to stop them at the exit. What happened afterwards was nothing short of astonishing, and kudos the Mumbai Police for working fast enough to apprehend the thieves at Dubai airport. A potboiler no less and more akin to hollywood movies, this should remain in the annals of history to learn a lesson from so that GJEPC can wake up from its monolithic chairs and pay serious attention to security in the future. You can follow the details of this adrenaline rushing event at the following link. Heist at IIJS 2010

IIJS 2010 - A sneak preview

Huff! The construction time for IIJS 2010 got over yesterday(16th Aug,2010) at 11.00pm. The hall which was almost looking like a battlefield over the last couple of days gradually started looking like the showcase for haven which it would turn into on the 19th. Most stands look good and some look as if they could need some more time, but as all of us know once the show starts, everything falls in place, and looks perfect! Here's a look of what's in store.Wishing IIJS 2010 and all its participants, a great show

IIJS 2010 Mumbai Setup - Day 3

The GJEPC has given possession of raw space to all the mezzanine stand builders on the morning of 8th Aug, 2010.Its been a good 2 days into the setup period and things seem to be progressing smoothly.Kudos to the organizers for providing a much better working environment this year with all the lights on and most importantly, much better ventilation. With the smaller raw space stands being handed over for construction today (10th Aug) it would be nice to see how the event management infrastructure fares.Will keep you posted on the updates

Collaboration for Corruption

There seem to be a lot of furore created in the media regarding the irregularities in terms of the contracts issued for the Commonwealth Games starting October 2010 in New Delhi.For most of us who belong to the exhibition fraternity Deepali Designs and Pico International are well known names. What is interesting is to note that actually these two competitors joined hands (Pico-Deepali) to pitch for the contracts and were awarded the largest contract of around INR 230 Crs.It is heartening to see that such huge contracts are even possible in the Indian Exhibition Industry.What would be even more interesting to note is what exactly does these "Overlays Contracts" include?And will somebody from Pico-Deepali please come forward and defend the accusations made against them of malpractice and corruption.

India International Jewllery Show 2010 - The final Countdown

With this years IIJS (India International Jewellery Show) approaching, preparations seem to be reaching fever pitch. Slated as the largest gems and jewellery show in Asia (if not the world), IIJS 2010, intends to be bigger and better. The epicenter of India's booming gems & jewellery trade, GJEPC (Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council) organizes this behemoth exhibition every year in August. The highlight of this year's IIJS seem to be the plethora of mezzanine stands that have been allocated to the exhibitors.Essentially this is to accommodate the increased space requirements by the exhibitors.With NSE,Goregaon being the only feasible venue for an event of this scale, there is no scope of expansion of NSE. (The grand warehouse in Mumbai which goes by the name of Bombay Exhibition Center).It would be interesting to seen how the stand construction companies manage to pull off the mezzanine structures in the stipulated time period and the pathetic working condition that NSE offers during the setup. However noteworthy is the Guideline Document issued by IIJS organizing committee regarding the construction of mezzanine stands. This document would definitely be helpful for current exhibitors or for that matter any exhibitor intending to construct mezzanine stands in the future.