Optical trade shows

OPTICAL TRADE SHOWS End of the affair

Back home, the eventual cancellation of Optrafair 2020 was inevitable. It was meant to be the last ever held at the NEC Birmingham, before a planned move to the Ricoh Arena in 2021. However, on 13 July, the FMO and Media 10, organiser of 100% Optical, announced that the two shows would combine from January 2021. POSITIVE STEP FORWARDS While the move certainly marks the end of an era, it must surely be cause for optimism. Phil Mullins, NEG operations director, concurs: “While I’m sorry that there won’t be a final Optrafair at the NEC in Birmingham, the merger of the two shows brings certainty for the industry, which is really needed in these uncertain times. It means we can now all focus on the one show in January.” Emily Malbon, head of UK marketing and education at Heidelberg Engineering, also sees the move as a positive step forwards. shows into one will allow exhibitors to focus their budget, effort and resources into one show, which will enhance the quality of the experience and educational content for visitors. As an exhibitor, there are many questions still to be answered because the two shows ran quite differently...but we look forward to hearing how the two shows will be combined. We hope everyone will be able to enjoy the best of both shows.” For Chris Beal, senior vice president at Charmant, the merger was also welcome. He said: “It is good news to finally hear of this consolidation after many years of our industry saying that a single annual UK trade fair was the best way forward. I’m sure this will be welcomed by manufacturers, suppliers and all optical practitioners and retailers alike, as the way to bring the whole industry together under one roof at one time. It will reduce fragmentation and costs, whilst consolidating to a focal calendar point for THE MERGER OF OPTRAFAIR AND 100% OPTICAL IS GOOD NEWS FOR BOTH INDUSTRY AND PROFESSION,

It was the ‘year of optics’ that never was. It had all begun so well – with Opti Munich in January attracting 28,000 visitors, and 100% Optical in London later that month reporting 9,500 registrations. But as coronavirus spread across the globe, so too did the postponements. First Mido pushed its 50th anniversary show back to July, before cancelling completely. The mooted consolidation of Vision Expo East and Vision Expo West for September was abandoned last month, as was the last optical trade show standing – Silmo Paris in October.

Industry welcomes show consolidation

She told Vision Now: “Condensing the two

WRITES NICKY COLLINSON our industry to showcase, educate, network and promote UK optics as a whole.”

SINGLE POINT OF FOCUS While Media 10 and the FMO work out how the Optrafair brand will transition to 100% Optical, UK suppliers can now plan how to harness the benefits of one big national show.

Alison Pearson, sales and marketing executive at mark’ennovy, said: “It [the merger] should be a good thing, as other countries that have one big national exhibition seem to be extremely successful. The exhibitions are on a much larger, grander scale. There is a big variation of exhibitors with lots of different things to see and learn. This appears to attract a huge footfall, even including visitors from overseas.”

Who knows, the new combined offer may even entice the contact lens companies. Having sponsored neither Optrafair nor 100% Optical, CooperVision confirmed it “was interested” in the January 2021 show. A spokesperson for Alcon stated: “For the past few years, we have not been present at either event. However, each year we evaluate where our presence would have the greatest impact, particularly for eyecare practitioners with a clear focus on contact lenses and ocular surface health.”

Stuart Burn, chairman of the FMO, believes the new partnership will provide tangible benefits and cost savings to FMO members and other exhibitors. Media 10 is now working with ExCeL London and the local health authorities to ensure the show is Covid-19 safe. Home to one of the largest Nightingale Hospitals, ExCeL will re-open on 1 October. “This is great news, as our exhibitors can ready themselves for 100% Optical in January in confidence,” Tweeted Nathan Garnett, event director of the show, when the news was announced last month.

It remains to be seen where we will be with Covid-19 rules and regulations by January, and therefore what shape 100% Optical will eventually take. But at least the industry can now move forwards, and plan more strategically for the recovery period ahead.