College offers more scope for trade fair

As there is no longer the prospect of an Optrafair-style show in 2006, optical companies looking to exhibit next year might take advantage of the College of Optometrists' expanded trade exhibition.

For the third year running the exhibition will be held alongside the College's annual Optometry Tomorrow conference, and hundreds of practitioners are expected to attend.

Richard Gott, marketing manager for the College, said: 'The Optometry Tomorrow Trade Exhibition will be held throughout the entire event. This year over 30 commercial organisations exhibited and in 2006 it is estimated that more will take part.'

He confirmed that trade exhibition places would be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, but priority would be given to those who express an interest early.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Topcon and Optos have all confirmed they will sponsor the Optometry Tomorrow 2006 lecture/workshop programme, and there are a handful of sponsorship opportunities left, including the cataract lecture, the detecting glaucoma lecture, and a binocular vision workshop.

The event will be held over two days, April 2-3 2006, at the Bristol Marriott City Centre.

The College will throw open its doors to the public this weekend as part of London's annual Open House weekend. Its Craven Street headquarters will be open on Sunday afternoon between 1pm and 5pm, and is one of the 600 buildings not normally open to the visiting public.