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Show organisers held an anniversary event attended by optical journalists from across the globe last week in France, which included a fashion trends presentation, an exhibition by Lunettes de France featuring companies from Alain Mikli and François Pinton to Parasite, and a conference on innovation.
At the latter conference in Bordeaux, Silmo's Eric Lenoir explained that the four-day exhibition will be held in four halls at the Porte de Versailles and the show area has expanded at the request of exhibitors by 10 per cent to 95,400sq m. The anticipated number of visitors is 48,000, while the total number of exhibitors has also increased to 1,100, 67 per cent of whom are from outside France.
'Silmo runs in line with the sector and we wanted to keep a handle on growth,' said Lenoir.
Giving an overview of 40 years of Silmo, he said that when it opened in 1967 there were 58 exhibitors in a space of 1,500sq m. Other highlights over the show's history include it gaining independence in 1970, the introduction of the International Technology and Fashion Grand Prix (the Silmo d'Or) in 1994, a competition open to all the fair's exhibitors, and the creation of The Village to welcome new frame designers in 1996.
The Village area has been expanded for 2007, transferring to Hall 3, with more space to move around. Other highlights are a Pacific hall, a central hall in Hall 1 and 'L'Avenue' with trend presentations. There will also be a sports forum and areas on children and low vision.
Silmo's 40th anniversary event will be held on the evening of October 19.
Lenoir added that visitors could also watch the World Cup final on a large screen in the specially rented exhibition Hall 8 at the show on Saturday.
'We are lucky enough to have the Rugby World Cup which is great news for Paris which is hosting the tournament and expecting a huge number of visitors. Organisers will try to make it easier for tourists, which will hopefully have a positive impact,' said Lenoir, recommending that those who plan to visit Silmo should book their hotels as soon as possible.
Silmo chairman Guy Charlot, described how Silmo opened its doors in 1967 with a handful of committed professionals. 'Producers of glasses from Oyonnax and Morez joined up with frame makers from Paris and glass producers, without realising that this meeting would become a world benchmark welcoming 1,000 exhibitors and over 46,000 visitors. In 2007, Silmo, the world optical fair, demonstrates the vitality of the optical and glasses sector and the predominant position of France and Paris,' he said.
Silmo has also developed its presence internationally, with events at Vision Expo, Milan and Brazil, pavilions in Shanghai, Moscow and Beijing, as well stands in Madrid, Dubai, Istanbul and Birmingham. It has also participated in training teachers for the optical market in China, for example.
In statistics released at the meeting, the French optics and eyewear industry produced a turnover of nearly €770m in 2006, of which €263m was in export, with 110 million pairs of optical and sunglass lenses sold every year. Today, 45 per cent of frames are exported within Europe, 40 per cent in North America and 10 per cent in Asia. The country is the sixth largest exporter of frames and the fifth largest market in terms of consumption.