Image courtesy of Silmo Paris

  
PARIS—The 2024 edition of Silmo Paris wrapped up here on September 23 with a total of 32,125 professionals in attendance, show organizers said in an announcement. This is a 2.6 percent increase from 2023. Fifty-two percent of these attendees were international, the other 48 percent were French. This year’s attendees were able to visit more than 900 companies at Silmo Paris, and the show spread over 75,000 square meters in Halls 6 and 7 at Paris Nord Villepinte.

In the announcement show organizers said, “This dynamism fostered an environment conducive to discoveries and collaborations, paving the way for new prospects and projects for the market. Silmo Paris 2024 thus continues to consolidate its role as an essential crossroads in the evolution of the industry, where innovative ideas and promising concepts come to life, shaping the future of the sector.”

This year, Silmo presented a series of awards including the 31st edition of its annual Silmo d’Or Award, as reported in VMAIL. DISTROAL By Thomas DENEUFBOURG & Adrien GALLOIS - École De Design Nantes Atlantique won the Optical Design Contest for 2024. Vanni & Skans won the Committed Company Prize for 2024. Vitor Martins of Portugal won the International Optician of the Year Award. Finally, Esso Angers school won the Inter-School Challenge, with five students from the school winning a trip to Silmo.

 
Other highlights from Silmo 2024 included the Silmo Next—Futurology space, which was dedicated to showcasing the future of possibilities in optical from technological innovations to personalized solutions and more. The Trends Forum highlighted the most popular optical trends at the show. The Meilleurs Ouvriers de France offered a series of workshops on frame construction, as well as a design challenge exhibition for students and trainees.

A special Made in France showcase spotlighted French eyewear manufacturers. The Oyonnaz – Morez Museum area brought attendees through a collection of historical objects that showed two centuries of French optical history. The Optympics celebrated the intersection between sportsmanship and optics. Finally, Slimo Talks and the Silmo Academy Conferences offered an immersive and interactive series of talks with leading specialists.

With the 2024 edition of the show now closed, Silmo continues to offer support to the optical industry. In partnership with the Hyssop agency, Silmo has created a series of practical fact sheets that offer advice on reducing ecological footprint, encouraging diversity and improving transparency. The sheets are available online here. Silmo also shared its the Right Optics podcast and a number of interviews and programs recorded at the 2024 show online. Silmo Job supports recruiters and candidates beyond the exhibition.

Silmo 2025 is scheduled for September 26 through 29 in Paris. Silmo Istanbul 2024 is scheduled for November 20 to 23.