Thousands of eye care professionals from across the UK will descend on Olympia this weekend for the very first Optrafair London exhibition.
The free-to-attend event, which has been organised by Optician on behalf of the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians, starts at 10am on Friday April 11 and closes at 5pm on Sunday. Optrafair London will bring together 160 companies and organisations from the optical community in the UK, Europe and beyond.
All of the optical associations and professional bodies will be represented at the event including the GOC, College of Optometrists and the BLCA. Optrafair is also backed by the Optical Confederation’s members of ABDO, the ACLM, the AOP, the FMO and FODO, who together represent 71,000 optical businesses and personnel.
Running throughout the show is a comprehensive programme of education featuring 18 hours of CET accredited lectures, 18 hours of equipment workshops offering CET and 18 hours of peer discussions also offering CET for optometrists and dispensing opticians.
A CET poster trail, sponsored by Topcon, is available on the exhibition floor while Vision Express is offering CET peer discussions on a first-come-first-served basis from its stand. Over 1,000 places at CET sessions have already been booked.
Other show features include models showcasing frames from the Fashion Quarter, twice daily window dressing demonstrations from expert high street stylists, up-and-coming brands in the London Lounge and a free-to-use relaxation area sponsored by Mondottica.
On the hour, each hour the Ask The Expert area will feature high profile speakers taking questions from visitors. Topics include legal matters, what ophthalmologists hate about optometrists and the latest on National Eye Health Week.
On the Saturday evening of Optrafair London, crowds hop across to the London Hilton on Park Lane for the Optician Awards 2014. This year will see 18 awards categories competed for and handed out by a mystery celebrity guest.