The organizers of the Facets 2024 conference in Antwerp deserved a good rest, but instead they found themselves being interviewed on the latest episode of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast.
The city welcomed more than 500 people from across the industry to hear speeches, panel discussions and more, with a common focus: how to secure the future of the diamond sector.
To reflect on the event, Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) CEO Karen Rentmeesters and vice president Ravi Bhansali shared their experiences with Rapaport’s Joshua Freedman, who also attended the conference. They discussed the messages that De Beers CEO Al Cook and Botswana President Duma Boko propagated in their addresses to the audience, as well as the topics that dominated the conference, from marketing to Group of Seven (G7) sanctions.
Rentmeesters and Bhansali spoke about prospects for Belgium’s diamond industry, which has suffered challenges as more business moves to other centers — first to India, then to Dubai. They emphasized Antwerp’s strengths, such as its compliance levels and its ability to serve the luxury brands. They contemplated the future of diamond conferences, which offer a different opportunity from trade shows, and expressed their main objective: that this podcast would get more listens than the blockbuster episode with AWDC president Isidore (Isi) Mörsel in August.
Listen to the podcast here:
Image: David Polak
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