For many working in the optical industry, the annual pilgrimage to Munich in early-to-mid January for the Opti tradeshow is a marker that a new year has truly begun in earnest. The deep winter timing and snowy Bavarian location lend a compelling backdrop to the show, and I was happy to see that visitor numbers have increased (see News, page 5) after a somewhat depressed outing in 2023.
Of course, tradeshows have been one of the areas of optics most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Prior to 2020, Opti had been building momentum and international recognition steadily for over a decade. Unable to be held for a year or two, since the pandemic these large meetings have been subject to some scepticism from both potential exhibitors and attendees alike.
It seems likely that this year’s recovery in attendee numbers was driven at least partially by the organisers persuading more companies to exhibit. Exhibitor numbers were up by around 25% and several major players, most notably in the ophthalmic lens sector, returned to the fold. This appears to have helped to incentivise wavering eye care professionals to visit.
Overall, it was a positive start to the slew of tradeshows in the first quarter of the year. Eyes now turn to Milan-based Mido and London’s own 100% Optical. It will be interesting to see if trends observed in Munich continue at those shows. As a sidenote, Opti’s organisers are moving the show a couple of weeks later in the calendar next year.
This places it just one week before Milan-based Mido’s 2025 dates meaning the optics industry will be in overdrive at the start of February next year. Optician will be running a comprehensive report on this most recent edition of Opti in our February 16 issue.