MILAN—Show organizers have reported the attendance figures for the 44th Annual Mido exhibition, held March 1-3, 2013. The three-day event was visited by more than 45,000 people, 25,000 from other countries and 20,000 from Italy, an increase of 5.4 percent over last year, organizers said.

“Many new companies chose Mido for their debut, some noteworthy names returned, there was a desire to increase business areas, and a buzz could already be felt on the eve of the exhibition,” said Cirillo Marcolin, president of Mido.

“If we look beyond the numbers, we were particularly happy to note a feeling of enthusiasm at the stands and to see trade people ready to do business,” added Giovanni Vitaloni, Mido vice president. “This also emerged from an initial analysis of the questionnaires that were handed out to the exhibitors at the end of the show and we hope that this is an indication that a new, more positive outlook is gaining ground among the people working in the industry.”

According to organizers, the show got off to a strong start on Saturday, with attendance remaining good on Sunday when opticians from central and southern Italy, took advantage of the “A Train to Mido” free transport service. This positive trend was confirmed on Monday, the closing, day, with trade people staying until closing time to see new products and sign orders.

“We are very happy with this 2014 Mido show,” concluded Marcolin. “Things went far better than expected. We look forward to seeing everybody at Mido 2015, slated for Feb. 28 to March 2.”