Mido has postponed this year’s trade show, which was due to take place from February 29 to March 2, in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in Italy.
Organisers have announced that the rescheduled event will take place between the end of May and mid-June, with the dates yet to be confirmed at the time Optician went to press.
The dates will be set in compliance with advice from the health authorities dealing with the outbreak, as well as availability of the venue, Rho Fiera Milano.
Giovanni Vitaloni, president of Mido, said: ‘We took this decision out of respect for the current alarming situation and for our exhibitors and visitors. As this health crisis is developing in Italy, we could not but choose to postpone Mido’s 2020 edition. We immediately defined and selected a timeframe within the year which could meet the needs of the eyewear industry at a national and international level.
‘We are aware that this decision will require industry professionals, exhibitors, buyers, press members, opticians and everyone working for Mido, including our staff, to reschedule their attendance, with a significant impact on all internal organisations.
‘It will be a two-fold effort as we are just a week away from the show, but we cannot honestly think of celebrating our 50 years when the world – and our country now in particular – is experiencing such an international crisis.
‘We trust though that, for the very nature of the current situation, which is alarming and continuously evolving, our exhibitors and visitors, the media and everyone involved will understand our decision. Our sense of responsibility as business people, but most of all as human beings, towards our families, our children, our colleagues, has compelled us to do something that we would have never wanted to do, especially for this special edition, the year of our 50th birthday.’
The industry reacts
Eyewear company Marcolin Group, which has a factory in northern Italy, told Optician that it has taken measures to protect its employees. A spokesperson for Marcolin Group said that the company was acting in compliance with the health indications provided by the World Health Organization and the Italian Ministry of Health.
‘The group is taking all the preventive measures to protect its own employees and it is in constant contact with Italian authorities as regards the management of working days. The situation in the Veneto area of Longarone is [changing] regularly. The updates with regional and national bodies are constant. Our actions will promptly follow the evolution of the situation,’ it said.
Jason Kirk, managing director of Kirk & Kirk, told Optician the eyewear company was ‘disappointed’ to see the 50th anniversary edition of Mido postponed. ‘Health is the priority and we wish everybody well who has been affected by this situation,’ he said.
When asked how much the postponement will cost the company, Kirk explained: ‘There are direct costs to us such as the stand and travel costs but more important is the opportunity to meet existing and potential clients at the show. We produce everything in France and we had all of our new launch samples ready and in stock to deliver straight after the show. Clearly, if you make your frames in China this must be a relief. For us, we have clients to reach and stock to sell. Mido’s idea of postponing until late May or June is not very helpful. Opticians need new spring/summer stock now.’
He added that eyewear launches will go ahead as planned and the company has created new tools to showcase its collection to opticians. ‘Our reps have the samples and they are out on the road. In recent years we have seen UK opticians visiting Mido and Silmo so there is clearly an appetite for new and exciting eyewear,’ he shared.
Peter Sunderland, company director of Booth & Bruce, told Optician he was shocked to learn that Mido had been postponed but said: ‘Given the increase in cases of Covid-19 and the apparent contagiousness, Booth & Bruce feel it was the correct decision to postpone Mido for its 50th anniversary edition.’
‘The economical cost to Booth & Bruce will be negligible because contingency plans are always ready to be implemented. In terms of cost of exposure, it’s a very difficult factor to measure. However, over the weekend around Mido, we will look to increase our social media activity to attempt to offset this loss,’ he shared.
Posting on LinkedIn, senior vice president for northern Europe, Nordics and Baltics region at Charmant, Chris Beal said: ‘Our thoughts and best wishes go to those affected by the coronavirus situation. Instead we will be hosting buying days during March and will keep you posted of the dates so that you can still see our latest developments and releases.’
Managing director of Dunelm Optical, John Proctor, explained that the company ‘completely understands’ the decision to prioritise the health and safety of people attending the show.
‘Stopping the spread of coronavirus is more important than any trade show. It is of course disappointing as Mido is one of the best trade shows for Dunelm Optical. We have a substantial international client base and we had a full diary of appointments to showcase our 2020 collection. We have yet to see if the proposed May or June dates work for us,’ he added.
Proctor said that the costs incurred from creating a new stand, plus flights and accommodation for its staff are ‘substantial’. He added: ‘Thankfully we managed to stop the shipping of the stand in the nick of time. We are calculating the loss but it will easily be a six figure sum.’
Dunelm Optical will now focus its efforts on Optrafair and is planning the launch of its 2020 frame range and catalogue. ‘We are also set to unveil exciting new offers on our lab services at Optrafair. Our glazing offers go from strength to strength and we are pleased with how 2020 has started,’ Proctor said.
A spokesperson for Cutler and Gross said: ‘We are genuinely sorry to hear of the postponement of the 50th anniversary edition of Mido. Cutler and Gross has exhibited at the show since the 1990s and it is always a key event in the eyewear calendar. In light of the current health issues in Italy and globally, we completely understand the decision to postpone the show and send our condolences to all of the people affected and most certainly with the families of those who have sadly passed away.’
Tony Pessok, Mondottica CEO, shared that the eyewear company believes Mido reacted promptly to the sudden worsening of the coronavirus situation in Lombardy. ‘This situation is clearly having substantial implications for our industry, both from a financial and an organisational perspective, but we have already taken action and planned an internal event for our key offices and partners in order to mitigate the situation in the short-term,’ he said. •
Note: Mido has announced that the rescheduled event will take place on July 5-7.