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RAPAPORT... The trading halls of the 105-year-old Antwerp Diamond Bourse and the more senior Antwerp Diamond Club opened their doors this week to host an invitation-only diamond trade fair. Organizers of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair offered visitors unique business opportunities, which included finding new sources, forging new contacts, viewing and comparing diamonds in a relaxed setting without the time pressure, and seeing an exceptional selection of diamond goods from more than 70 diamond firms. This year, traders came from all over the world and exhibitors agreed that the quality of traffic once again improved from the previous year. Furthermore, visitors were not only coming with a real business interest, but they had tangible financial capability. According to several visitors, it appeared that the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair is improving upon its reputation as it continually defines its mission. This has increased confidence with local organizers, as some reportedly decided to forgo Baselworld and focus on this event instead. However, some exhibitors complained about issues that they considered to have had a negative impact on the effectiveness of the show. Among those problems, guests would have had to wait for one hour on the opening day in order to get their access badges, and the fact that other events were inappropriately planned during the second day of the fair. One exhibitor said, ''We only have something like 16 hours to really do our job. If we lose one hour on the first day and two and a half on the second, it’s almost a 25 percent pure waste.''
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