With just over 100 days to go, the optics industry can finally ring in the year as usual at opti. After a one-off special edition in May, the international trade show for optics & design will take place on its usual mid-January date from 13 to 15 January 2023, at the Fairground Munich. Three new webinars of the opti FORUM XT series will prepare you for the live show as from October.
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The industrial sector in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) appreciates the early date and international players are also expected to come to Munich in 2023, not only because of the proximity to the wintry Alps. A wide range of products and the high quality of the exhibitors and their products traditionally characterize opti.
Four halls with a wide range of products and a lot of structure
Thanks to its four-hall concept, the established order fair will once again guarantee trade visitors a structured and efficient visit in 2023. Halls C1 and C2 will again contain the spectacle frames collections of the licensed brands and manufacturer brands, the YES independent design area and the opti BOXES with exciting start-ups. Brands in the frames area will also be presenting themselves in Hall C3, and there will also be everything for stationary opticians, such as purchasing groups, trade products, shopfitting with furnishings and decoration, as well as workshop facilities and equipment. Hall C4 focuses on spectacle lenses, contact lenses and accessories, refraction and diagnostics, as well as IT and machines. “Myopia management” and “Sustainability in ophthalmic optics” are also the focus topics across all halls and product areas at opti in January. All exhibitors who have committed themselves to the focal points can again be selected and found online in advance on the trade show’s website. On site, special stand markings will show trade visitors the way.
All signs to successful business
Bettina Reiter said “At opti 2023, all signs point to a successful business. We are looking forward to lots of innovation and enthusiasm.” Speaking of this, after the successful first edition in 2022, the opti BOX AWARD for promising start-ups from the frames sector will also be relaunched in January. The prize – supported by eyebizz – will be awarded live on-site on the Saturday of the trade fair by an international jury of experts to one of the newcomers of the opti BOXES in the YES independent design area. “We are in conversation with incredibly visionary young entrepreneurs. Their spirit also inspires us,” says Lidia Ricco from the trade show team with enthusiasm. Her colleagues Alica Mauritz and Katharina König agree with her: “Hearing how much innovative power our exhibitors are putting in against the current multiple crises gives us a great deal of motivation. We are really looking forward to January.” Amelie Fraunhofer feels the same way. She traditionally puts together the program on the opti CAMPUS and the projects for the opti CHARITY. “Everyone wants to get involved,” she explains.
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Platforms which helps to form the future
✔ Today, one third of people in industrialized nations are short-sighted, children and adolescents in Germany to the same extent, plus even about half of the students in this country, and the trend is rising everywhere. The inter-professional myopia management is becoming more and more important, and ophthalmic and optometry businesses together with ophthalmologists can play a crucial role, especially in regions where there are not enough eye specialists.
✔ Ophthalmic optics can certainly have an influence on climate change. The OPTIC.FAMILY sustainability initiative postulates “From climate friend to climate hero”. This starts with energy-efficiently designed business premises and production sites, continues with 3D frames that save storage capacities, and ends with innovative bio-based raw materials for glasses and lenses.
✔ The shortage of young professionals and skilled workers is a central issue in the craft sector in general and also affects the ophthalmic industry. According to this year’s industry report by the German central association of opticians and optometrists (Zentralverband der Augenoptiker/ZVA), 71% of businesses in this country were unable to fill their vacancies in 2021 as desired, 85% of them not at all. Moreover, only 54% of the vacant apprenticeship places could be filled last year. When opti 2023 gets started in mid-January, educational institutions from the optometry and hearing acoustics sectors will once again be part of the action as part of the opti CAMPUS.
As at the last opti, the opti FORUM XT webinar series will prepare you for the live event and the personal exchange of knowledge. “Tradition meets Technology” (20 October 2022, 7.30pm), “Myopia – How is the hype going?” (17 November 2022, 7.30pm) and “Positioning: Show what you stand for and the turnover is right” (8 December 2022, 7.30pm) are the topics of the 90-minute lectures with expert presentations and expert discussion, for which you can register online as from 10 October.
Tickets for opti 2023 from 13 to 15 January will also be available as from October 2022 on the show’s website, where you will also find all the information for exhibitors. Interested start-ups should call Lidia Ricco at +49 89 189 149 154 to find out more about opti BOXES and participation in the opti BOX AWARD.
Read more about this show on TEF Magazine or visit their website.
