Rugby final and transport strike dent Silmo figures

Industrial action by French transport workers has been blamed for a 8.5 per cent fall in the numbers of people visiting the French trade show Silmo in Paris late last month.

Final figures show 42,669 visitors attended the exhibition, an 8.5 per cent drop on the show in 2006. Organisers of the 40th Paris show said the biggest fall in attendance was among French opticians, down by per 11 per cent to 20,354. The number of overseas professionals visiting the show fell by 6 per cent to 22,315.

A double whammy for the show was completed by the staging of the Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France, Paris, on the Saturday night of Silmo and hotel rooms in the city were fully booked many weeks before the event.