Attendance lower but visitors full of purpose

Visitor numbers for Optrafair 2009, which took place from April 4-6 at the Birmingham NEC, fell substantially from the last show in 2007. But the organiser insisted the show attracted 'quality' professionals with a purpose in mind and a mission to enhance their business.

According to the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO), Optrafair 2009 attracted 6,505 visitors over the three days. In 2007 the show attracted around 11,665 visitors. The FMO pointed out that this year's attendance figures did not include exhibitors who were included in the 2007 figures.

Moreover, the floor space taken this year was down 15 per cent from 2007. However, Optrafair 2009 attracted 56 new exhibitors who came from as far afield as the US, India and South Korea.