VICENZAORO FIRST 2010 CLOSES WITH SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE

01.27.10

The first international gold and jewellery show in the annual fair
calendar, Vicenzaoro First 2010, has ended.

The figures for the flow of visitors to Vicenzaoro First fully
confirm its centrality and importance for the sector. The presences
of accredited operators at the end of the sixth day numbered 17,969
compared with 13,154 in 2009. The countries best represented were:
France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Israel, Turkey and the USA.

The presence was recorded of buyers from the most important department
stores and luxury retailers at international level, people of the
calibre of Scott Martin from Saks Fifth Avenue (USA), Mehul Choksi
from the Gitanjali Group (India), Anna Avakian from Mercury (Armenia),
Alex Popov from Moscow Diamon Bourse (Russia) and Alon Torjeman from
Padani (Israel).

The noticeable increase in the presence of operators can also be
interpreted as greater interest in gold and jewellery products and
purchases from the end customers too.

For the moment, it is not possible to transform these positive
indications into secure order forecasts and it will be necessary to
obtain specific precise data from other sources to do so.

A certain liveliness was perceptible during these fair days and allows
us to hope that the definitive data will effectively be in growth.

"The positive feelings expressed in these last few days," commented
the incoming Chairman, Roberto Ditri, "have further reinforced my
enthusiasm for my new position and my conviction that with these
premises, the approval of the shareholders, and the collaboration of
the staff, we will be able to fine-tune great projects and proposals
for consolidating Fiera di Vicenza leadership role on the international
stage and provide support for the entire gold sector.

These days of full emersion in the gold business," Ditri continued,
"have let me gather lots of fundamental ideas from entrepreneurs,
operators, economic categories and media for defining future
strategies which will be tackled and discussed very soon by the Board
of Directors."

The lively climate that could be felt in the exhibition pavilions was
reflected by the support for the show and for the jewellery sector
by the city, institutions, business people and townspeople. The
inaugural day, attended by all the public representatives, ended
with the Golden Night, an evening in which Vicenza welcomed the
businesses and operators with late opening in the shops, events,
shows and performances by artists.

The sector is coming from a very long and deep recession. The demand
for gold and jewellery in 2009 recorded a steep fall of about 18% at
world level with very marked downturns in the United States (-17%),
in the Arab countries and in Europe. The sole sign of solidity came
from the Chinese market where there was a 12% increase in the demand
for gold and 8% growth in jewellery.

The forecasts indicate a market recovery for 2010, the scale of
which will however be linked to the performance of the economy in
the various parts of the world.

Vicenzaoro First is the first international exhibition of the new
Fiera di Vicenza Spa, a company established on 22 December 2009
with the merger by incorporation of the property company and the
management company.

The Board of Directors of the new Fiera di Vicenza, elected unanimously
by the majority shareholders (the Commune, Province and Chamber of
Commerce) is composed of business people and technicians: Michele
Amenduni, Paolo Brunello, Renato Corr?, Ambrogio Dalla Rovere,
Antonio Pilastro and Stefano Stenta (Vice-Chairman).

It met for the first time on 15 January and elected Roberto Ditri
as Chairman.

Roberto Ditri, managing director of Marelli Motori, part of the British
Melrose Plc group, is an international manager with a wide variety
of commitments in trade associations at regional and national level.

Ditri has full powers and also fills the role of managing director
of Fiera di Vicenza SpA.