Behind the scenes of the Biennale des Bijoutiers

Published 17 / 11 / 2021 Reading time: 7 min

On November 26, 27 and 28, 2021, the 7th^rd edition of the Biennial of Creative Jewelers organized by Roannais Agglomeration. In the heart of the characterful village of Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire, this event celebrates the jewel and those who create it. Go behind the scenes of this unmissable event!

1 year before

The next Bijouterie Biennale takes place in exactly one year, it’s time to prepare for it… Yes, already! To begin, we prepare the application file for the attention of jewelers…

8 months before

We have received around thirty files and we have to choose 19. Why 19?

• For a question of locations! At the end of November, it is cold and sometimes dark. The exhibition and sale of the Biennial of creative jewelers therefore takes place indoors, in different places made available by Roannais Agglomeration and the municipality of Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire. The number of jewelers selected is therefore limited by the number of locations available.
• In addition, this event is intended to be intimate, so that each visitor can easily get in touch with each jeweler, discuss, discover, share.

Selection criteria

A jury of jewelry and crafts professionals selects the jewelers using previously established criteria.

The first criterion is of course to be a professional jeweler, in other words, to exercise the jewelry business as a main activity.

The creation (the idea of ​​the piece to be produced) and the design (the manufacture itself) must also be linked and the jewelry must be made by hand, in unique pieces or in small series. You will understand, here, no creative hobbies or industrial production, only passionate professionals who perpetuate know-how!

All techniques and materials are welcome. The jury also makes sure to select jewelers who work with different materials, with different techniques, so that on D-Day, visitors can discover a great diversity of creations.

For us, whatever the material used for manufacturing, the artisanal jewel always has a particular value: it becomes precious by the work of the craftsman. Thus, jewelry of contemporary inspiration will rub shoulders with jewelry of more ethnic or historical inspiration, materials such as gold, silver and precious stones will be as much in the spotlight as materials such as brass, rubber, glass, feather, leather, wood, recycled materials ...

Anaïs

6 months before

The fact that a jeweler wishes to offer a meeting, a workshop or a demonstration during the Biennale is also one of the things that the jury appreciates. Indeed, we want this event to be not only an exhibition-sale fair, but also a moment of discovery of the backdrop of the manufacture of a jewel, a moment of sharing, even of learning. Moreover, the SEPR, the region's training center, will also be present all weekend in order to guide vocations or awaken new ones.

The programme

The jewelers being selected, it is time to "build" the program. First of all, who will go where? The jewelers are dispatched in 3 poles: village of Saint-Jean, La Cure and village of Saint-Maurice. In each of these poles, there will be at least 2 different rooms. We therefore try to put in each of these rooms jewelers who work with different materials and techniques to have a great diversity in each pole.

To get from one place to another, visitors can take a free shuttle or walk around. We are therefore thinking about the direction of traffic to change for vehicles. It will also have to be banned between La Cure and the village of Saint-Maurice to guarantee everyone's safety.

Logistic

At this point, many questions arise: should we add lighting? Is the electric power sufficient in this place? Shouldn't this wall be repainted? Where are we going to set up the barnum that will host the workshops? How to manage the direction of circulation in a particular building? How do you do in bad weather? Security level? We then establish a back-planning with the missions of each: traffic order to be made, inform the inhabitants, create and put in place signage, check the various exhibition places and carry out minor work, do a pre-installation ...

Communication

It is also the moment to create the posters and paper programs of the event: we select visuals. We write the texts, we adjust the times and places. We are also preparing the signage for the big day, a welcome booklet for the public… And of course, we are starting to talk about the event: web and social networks to begin with.

1 months before

Posters and programs come out of the print shop! It's time to get the information out! We have selected different places, mainly in the territory of Roannais Agglomeration, but also near Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Clermont-Ferrand. Sending by post is preferred for the most remote sites. For the rest, we are doing a 2-day distribution tour to distribute nearly 4000 programs and posters. We of course continue to talk about the event on the web, but also in the press and social networks.

J-7

We pre-install the premises (lighting, furniture, heating, barnum assembly, etc.) and take care of the final details. We watch the weather every day with our fingers crossed to have beautiful days.

J-1

We install signage and everything related to traffic and security. We make sure everything is ready and we check the weather… Every 3 seconds!

D-day

Friday morning : we finally welcome the jewelers that we already have the impression of knowing from exchanging by email. We support them in setting up their stands and remain available for technical requests…

Friday 15h : We put on our best smile and we welcome you all weekend for the Biennale des Bijoutiers Créateurs!

And after…

The following Monday is a special day. Tired but happy to have been able to carry out the event, to have contributed to making you meet craftsmen who we find passionate and fascinating, who perpetuate know-how, innovate, invent new ones and give to our daily life a little more authenticity…!