By Deirdre Carroll: Senior Editor

 
 Attendees of Opti 2013 were greeted by two alphorn players in traditional Bavarian garb.
MUNICH—Opti-Munich, the first event of the year to kick off the international optics industry, was held at the Fairground Messe München from Jan. 25 to 27. At this year’s event, over 23,200 industry professionals from over 70 countries attended the show and discovered exhibitors’ latest products and trends. Industry professionals were presented with an extensive range of products offered by 491 exhibitors in the four sold-out halls.

 
 Dieter Dohr.
According to event organizers, Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH (GHM), even before the doors opened, Opti 2013 looked to be another success story. The number of exhibitors had increased compared to the previous year (it was 60 in 2012), as did the number of countries where they originated. “Opti is becoming more and more important at the international level,” said Dieter Dohr, CEO and president of GHM. “More and more companies are seeing the Munich event as an opportunity to expand their international clientele base. Of course, opticians also benefit from this, because the bigger the selection of products on offer, the more choice you have for putting together your own range.”

   
 Models were on hand in branded Opti beanies to showcase some of the new sports glasses and ski goggles being introduced.
Crowds packed the isles of the four sold out
exhibitor halls.
This year’s attendees also gave the show high marks in a survey conducted by GHM, with over 90 percent of respondents rating Opti 2013 as “good to very good.” According to the results of the visitor survey, a crucial factor in this success was the comprehensive and broad range of products offered and the fact that there were so many new products on display. “Opti has established itself as the platform for launching new products at the beginning of the year,” added Dohr. “The timing of Opti is perfect for this.”




New and familiar faces attended the show, Luxottica (l) and German company, Herrlicht’s booth (r).
Prescription frames and sunglasses for summer, sports glasses and ski goggles for the 2013/2014 season were all launched at Opti 2013. More than three quarters of survey respondents said that they placed orders at the show.

The reaction from Josef May, chairman of Spectaris, the German Association of Optical Industries, was also very positive. He said, “The event was fully booked, with aisles and stands full of people and incoming orders, so the exhibitors were very happy. Instead of a downturn, the optics industry looks set to enjoy fresh impetus again this year. This year looks set to be the year of contact lenses and multiple frame purchases.”

 
Plenty of orders were also taken at the Morel (l) and Ogi (r) booths.
As well as German and international opticians, more and more apprentices and students are also using Opti to get a detailed overview of the market, GHM said. According to organizers, they used the trade show as an opportunity to get information on careers and advanced training opportunities in the industry, as well as to gain insights into the future of the optics industry.

Opti 2014 is scheduled to be held from Jan. 10 to 12, 2014 at the Fairground Messe München. ■

dcarroll@jobson.com