Comment: London's calling

Its often the case that people don’t really know what they want until it comes along. Once it has arrived they are left wondering why they didn’t do it before and how they managed without it.

Optrafair London next April 11-13 (see news) is a case in point. The idea of a London show is nothing new but the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians couldn’t possibly have imagined the level of demand for an Optrafair in London before they decided to launch a sister show in the capital for its flagship Birmingham event.

Optician is the FMO’s partner in the venture so it has seen first hand the desire from those within optics to leverage the power of London and exhibit in the capital. And it is not just the industry that has been racing to exhibit at the show. The FMO’s own research (news 14.06.13) shows that 81 per cent of those in the profession who visited Optrafair intended visiting an Optrafair in London too. The show has also received the full backing of the whole profession and industry through its Optical Confederation partners.