Antwerp: The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) have announced that the next World Diamond Congress will be held in a virtual format on September 14 – 15, 2020. The 39th World Diamond Congress, a biennial gathering of the WFDB and IDMA, was originally planned to be held in Hong Kong in November 2020, but has been moved to a digital format due to the coronavirus pandemic.

WFDB Acting President Yoram Dvash said, “Although we have all become used to conducting meetings and webinars online, this will be the first time that we will be holding an entire Congress in this format. This will be an especially important meeting at a time when the global diamond industry is in crisis due to the pandemic. This Congress will enable us to discuss all of the critical issues affecting our industry and to hear from the members of the diamond trade worldwide.”

IDMA President Ronnie VanderLinden said, “The coronavirus crisis has only heightened the fundamental challenges our industry faces. Now it is even more important to gather as an industry and to work together to seek new paths forward.”

Both leaders stressed that they were hopeful that attendance at the virtual congress would be high, especially since the online format would enable convenient participation from delegates’ offices and homes.