Industry News
Silmo Reports Rise in Attendance For Silmo Paris and Announces Dates for Silmo Singapore
According to the organizers of SILMO Paris 2022, the figures surpass all their expectations. There was a spectacular rise in the number of international visitors and increased participation by French opticians, confirming that SILMO Paris is back to its pre-crisis levels.
During the four days of the trade fair, the 750 exhibitors – frames, lenses, technical materials, brands, general purchasing organisations, services, and so on – welcomed nearly 27,000 visitors, roughly half from France and half from abroad. There were 13,462 French visitors, an increase of 21% compared to 2021. Foreign visitors, from 146 countries, reached 13,444, up by 107% from 2021.
“These figures demonstrate the appeal of SILMO Paris, a leading trade fair that remains an international platform for business and a hub of interaction for all the professionals in the optical and eyewear industry,” confirms Amélie Morel, Chairwoman of SILMO Paris.
However, if we compare the numbers to the pre-COVID year of 2019 then we still see a decrease in the numbers. The number of visitors throughout the SILMO Paris 2019 was 35,888 professionals, including 56% from abroad and 44% from France. The number of exhibitors in 2019 was 970.
SILMO also announced that SILMO Singapore will be the Asian flagship edition of SILMO Paris. SILMO Singapore is scheduled to be launched from 12-14 April 2023, at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore. The Singapore show will converge the stakeholders from the optical and eyewear industry together, bringing together over 250 international and local brands across 6000 sqm of exhibition space. Over 3,000 visitors are also expected to attend the event which will feature curated content and platforms for networking and knowledge exchange between industry leaders, in addition to the trade exhibition.
The organizers of SILMO Singapore have garnered the support of several industry associations, like the Singapore Optometric Association (SOA), the India Vision Institute (IVI) and Optical Dispensers Australia (ODA) among others. The Asia Optometric Congress (AOC) will also be supporting SILMO Singapore by disseminating the information to their ASEAN country members.
“The Singapore Optometric Association is proud to support the inaugural SILMO Singapore. SILMO Singapore, the leading tradeshow and congress in the optical industry, will help converge the optical industry stakeholders to network and share knowledge in helping to promote the role of optometry as a Primary Eye Care profession,” says Ken Tong, President, Singapore Optometric Association.
"Silmo Singapore will be an exciting and informative event for anyone involved in the Ophthalmic business. Doubly so as it is an in-person event, and one that would be of great benefit to the region as it deals with the burden of growing Myopia,” says Vinod Daniel, CEO, of India Vision Institute.
“We are thrilled to see the SILMO brand expand into Singapore next year. Having an international optics and eyewear trade fair of this scale in Singapore is exciting for Australia, as the location is not only the gateway to Southeast Asia but is also an accessible destination for countries within the Oceania region. SILMO has always been an integral part of the Australian optical and eyewear industry and as such Optical Dispensers Australia is proud to be a supporting partner of SILMO Singapore,” says April Petrusma, CEO, of Optical Dispensers Australia.
