New website www.hrd.be and Online News Service

After many months of planning, the newly refurbished website of the Antwerp Diamond High Council (HRD) has been launched at www.hrd.be. Designed to act as a gateway to the Antwerp World Diamond Center, the new site is essentially a portal that provides easy access to information about visiting and doing business in Antwerp, as well as about the services provided by HRD.

Foreign diamantaires planning a trip to Antwerp would do well to start at the “Antwerp Diamond Directory” at which they will be provided with a list of links and other contact information to all the bourses, professional organizations and banks servicing the Belgian trade. Practical travel information is also available, with links to Brussels International Airport, Antwerp's local airport and the national railway service. Information about accommodation, restaurants, shopping and entertainment in Antwerp can be obtained via a link to the city's tourist office.

HRD is the largest single provider of services to the Antwerp diamond sector, providing members of the trade access to a range of products, including diamond and colored gemstone grading, education, assistance in visiting and exhibiting at international trade shows, marketing and public relations, research and development, technology, import and export services, social services, and legal and political support. Detailed information about HRD's various departments and agencies is provided, and where it is relevant price lists are displayed.

Concurrently with the launch of the new HRD website, the organization is also launching its news service, a weekly electronic mailing called Antwerp Facets Online. It is also located on the web at www.antwerpfacets.com and comprises a breaking news service that is updated on a constant basis. While the scope of the news will include the entire length and breadth of the diamond market, it will focus specifically on the rough diamond business, reflecting Antwerp's primary role in this sector of the diamond pipeline. Members of the public interested in receiving this electronic mailing can subscribe on www.antwerpfacets.com.
Visitors to the site will also be able to download the latest and previous editions of the Antwerp Facets Magazine in PDF format.

www.hrd.be
Contact: [email protected]
(please credit Europa Star)

Source: HRD press release
September 2003