For many years SILMO’s influence has stretched far beyond the scope of the annual Paris gathering alone…how best to present it in just a few lines? Director of Silmo Paris, Eric Lenoir reflects on the Silmo Family’s international development:
Since the founding exhibition in 1967 (the brainchild of the Oyonnax and Morez spectacle manufacturers), SILMO has continued to evolve, developing its offering year on year to deliver high added-value content to exhibitors and visitors.
With its unique mix of fashion and health, technical expertise and performance, anticipation and inspiration, business and socialising, the ambition of SILMO Paris has always been to be much more than just a professional trade fair.
Across every category, from the very first eyewear catwalk to the Low Vision forum, from the Village’s launch to its array of training programmes, SILMO Paris has successfully diversified its offering, creating new exhibition spaces with every edition. Its history and enduring appeal are a testimony to this.
Today, SILMO has become a genuine brand underpinned by two key areas of expertise.
– Firstly, a package of content and services helping professionals to advance their development.
– Secondly, the SILMO Family, a network of international professional trade fairs which began with SILMO Paris and has since branched out and expanded to include SILMO Istanbul, SILMO Sydney and SILMO Bangkok.
SILMO Paris has now become the industry’s flagship gathering, officially launching the new eyewear season. We hope that other members of the SILMO Family will enjoy the same success.
Why this family analogy?
Symbolically the history of a family contains:
… A past, a geographical context, special memories, trailblazers who have shown the way forward and bequeathed us a culture, traditions and values.
… Values passed on from generation to generation, wherever we go, wherever we put down roots.
… Traditions we uphold, celebrations we continue to mark.
… Personalities with contrasting views, who enrich and stimulate each other, enjoy meeting up… people bound by strong links.
… Common projects to bring people together, even at difficult times.
… A living organism that moves, grows, travels, encounters other cultures, produces offspring and welcomes newcomers.
So yes, based on all these criteria, SILMO is one big family and it’s not yet complete!
What makes the SILMO offering so different?
We provide exhibitors and visitors with an ever-expanding bank of content and services, from a resource centre that delivers exceptional
added value in the true SILMO tradition focused on supplying professionals with the right information and tools.• INTERACT via SILMO MATCH
An app designed to schedule meetings, develop connections and exchanges, discover new products and grow business opportunities.• ACCESS TRAINING via SILMO ACADEMY
Accelerate your skills via training programmes devised to keep pace with the latest scientific developments and ever-changing demands of today’s optics industry.• SHINE via the SILMO D’OR awards
An iconic award recognising the talent and expertise of an entire industry, with the announcement of the award winners eagerly awaited and well supported each year.• ANTICIPATE via SILMO NEXT
Brand new for 2018: SILMO NEXT spotlights all aspects of forecasting, innovation and market trends; designed as a think tank, its aim is to help visitors and exhibitors anticipate changes already underway and propel us into the future of the optics and eyewear sector.• TAKE PART via SILMO LIVE
A set of enabling services and promotional tools designed to make your event a unique occasion.
SILMO Paris So much more than a trade fair.
Silmo Family, a community of 1,200 optics and eyewear businesses with a unique opportunity to meet more than 49,000 professionals from across the globe.
