Jewelry Industry Summit Announces 2017 Speakers and Sessions

Tucson, Ariz.--The Jewelry Industry Summit has announced its speakers, agenda and sponsors for its second event on Jan. 29 and 30 at the Tucson Convention Center.

The summit is broken down into morning and afternoon sessions.

On Sunday, Jan. 29, following the “Strengths, Opportunities and Aspirations” workshop, Lisa Manley, executive vice president, sustainability strategy and communications at Cone Communications, will speak to attendees. Cone Communications is a public relations and marketing agency, known for its studies on consumer expectations of responsible business.

The afternoon session will feature speaker Thea Polancic, managing partner of Chicago-based consulting firm ClearSpace LLC and founder of the Chicago chapter of Conscious Capitalism, an organization that focuses on voluntary exchange and entrepreneurship, and marrying these capitalist principals with trust and compassion.

This session also will encompass two workshops: “Imagining the Future of Industry Segments” and “Identifying Key Elements of a Sustainable Future.”

The morning and afternoon session on day one will be broken up with a lunch and a reception will follow the second session.

During the reception, 20 posters will discuss responsible sourcing, with a representative from each poster’s organization present to answer questions. (To participate in this, contact Richard Nehls at richard@la-rocks.com. The deadline is Jan. 23.)

On the second day of the summit, Monday, Jan. 30, the morning session will begin with speaker Bob Mitchell, vice president of social and environmental responsibility for the Electronics Industry Citizen Coalition, then will progress to workshops on “Identifying Possibilities to Support Sustainability by Industry Segment” and “Exploring Possibilities to Support Sustainability.”

The afternoon session will include discussions on “Prototyping Tools, Strategies, and Initiatives,” “Rapid Stress Testing of Prototypes,” and “Refine, Redesign, and Plan for Prototypes.”

Sponsors for the second Jewelry Industry Summit are: Jeff Bilgore, American Gem Trade Association/Jeffrey Bilgore LLC; Cecilia Gardner, Jewelers Vigilance Committee; Cleo Zancope Gnatek, Jane Taylor Jewelry; Doug Hucker, AGTA; Christina Miller, Christina Tatiana Miller Consulting; Richard Nehls, LA Rocks; Mike Pace, Diamond Producers Association; Sam Shiroff, Signet Jewelers; and Barbara Wheat, Gemalytics LLC/Natural Colored Diamond Association.

The summit was created to facilitate conversations between all facets of the jewelry industry on sustainable and responsible sourcing.

Cost of attendance for the 2017 event is $275, which includes lunch on both days, coffee breaks and the Sunday night reception. To register, go to JewelryIndustrySummit.com.