Souq.com named as official auctioneer of International Pearl Convention
Move to revive historical trading of precious commodity
Souq.com, the leading online auction site in the UAE and a member of the Maktoob group of companies, has been named the official auctioneer of the first Intenational Pearl convention (IPC), to be held from 18 to 22 November 07 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairperson of the Family Welfare Foundation and Chairperson of the General Women's Union.
The aim of this ambitious event is to revive UAE's distinguished pearling tradition and embed it as the keystone of the country's cultural identity. The international convention will bring the attention of investors and industrialists to the glory and scope of the pearl industry; various events also have been scheduled in connection with international convention to disseminate wide prospects of this lucrative industry. Innovative programmes like Pearl Theatre, Pearl Concert, Pearl Seminars, Pearl Classes, Arabia Pearl Exhibition, Cultured Pearl Display, and Pearl Fashion also will be the attractions of the international convention.
“As renowned auction market place in the region, Souq.com and it’s parent company maktoob.com can do a lot with pearl industry in terms of explosure. They are getting a great chance to get in to this industry by cooperating with investors and industrialists who are associate with this glittering business,” said Khaled Al Sayegh, chairman of the Pearl Revival Committee. “As the International pearl convention is the venue where world’s most precious Arco valley pearl goes under hammer, presence of Souq.com will make the auction process more interactive and competitive,” he added.
A collection of pearls will be auctioned to raise funds for future activities to revive the Gulf pearl industry. Main attractions will be the Arco Valley pearl and a series of rare pieces from the region. "The Dream Pearls of Cooch Behar": WC2A - Him 980 grains; WC2B Her 700 grains, "Worm" 404 grains, 65mm long, 2591 "Rosebud" 214 grains, 30mm, 2592 "Golden Dome" Oriental, 51 grains, 13mm, "Oriental Necklace" two lines, 10.4mm - 5.4mm, "18th Century Button Pearl Gold Jewellery" and "Sarnii chuluu" it means "Moon stone" 284.93 cr weight, and with sizes 59.1x 40.0x 29.2mm, are other pearls would be available for the auction.
“Being a community website focused on auctions, it’s a pleasure and an honor for Souq.com to take part in the activities of this convention that is aimed at reviving a trade that was an integral part of the core of the community’s culture and values. The Pearl Auction will definitely help to draw attention to the industry, and we would like to help emphasize the importance of this trade and industry to the regional community both online and offline,” Sameh A. M. Lutfi, Sales and marketing Manager of Souq.com.
The summit will also see the launch of an economic report for those interested in understanding the future directions for the UAE pearl industry. The launch of the report will be followed by a panel discussion. The second session of the day will take the attendees through the marketing and design aspects and trends. Case studies will be presented by leading players in the pearl industry. All the presentations will be followed by a question and answer session. Some confirmed participants at the summit are Dr. Gaitano Cavalieri, President World Jewellery Confederation, representatives of the International Colored Stone Association (ICA), Sarkis Hajjar, Japan and Robert Wan, Perles De Tahiti.
Souq.com has emerged as the premier online auction destination in the region, with over 80,000 registered users and 260,000 unique visitors a month. It recorded over 6 million page views in the month of August. The average number of items listed is curently above 30,000.
