SILMO 2023 announces large upturn in numbers

SILMO 2023 announces large upturn in numbers

The SILMO Generation was there in force. This effervescence was palpable throughout the four days of SILMO Paris: 31,337 visitor-buyers (+16.5% vs. 2022) attended, including 15,902 from abroad (+18.3% vs. 2022) and 15,535 from France (+14.7% vs. 2022). They were able to meet 929 companies, representing a total of 9,400 stand visitors – not counted with visitors – spread over the 75,000m2 of halls 6 and 7 at Paris-Nord Villepinte.

All the ingredients were in place to ensure visitors and exhibitors alike an energizing, eventful edition. The key points were the ever-popular welcome and conviviality, facilitated by the show’s unanimously acclaimed reconfiguration.

SILMO Paris reflects the entire optics and eyewear industry, with players large and small, historic and new, representing the entire value chain. The exhibitors’ contribution to the show’s success is immense : the quality of their stands, products and services underscores the extent to which they are investing in the future at the industry’s leading trade show.

This year’s SILMO Paris definitively confirmed that the Paris event is now the place to be for the launch of new collections and brands, as well as innovative concepts, on an international scale! Its  strength  also  comes  from  the  formidable  array  of  events  within  the  event,  promoting innovation,  creation  and  knowledge,  and  putting  into  perspective  the  companies  that  are inventing the optics of today and tomorrow.

The 30th SILMO d’OR awards, presented in the surprising setting of the Folies Gruss, remain the central pillar of this event. The members of the Jury, whose integrity and professionalism the organizers warmly thank, meticulously studied all the applications and impartially selected the creations and innovations that caught their attention. They were supported in their mission by a Jury Chairman from outside the optical sector, who brought a different and challenging perspective to the table. This year, Nicolas Fafiotte, a self-described “couturier of exceptional moments”, accepted the challenge. In a nod to our industry, this promoter of French elegance hails from Oyonnax!

The SILMO d’OR 2023 ceremony was also an opportunity to award two other prizes, including one for the first time.

With corporate social and environmental responsibility at the heart of today’s societal challenges, SILMO organizers decided to create an RESPONSIBLE COMPANY AWARD. Open to all exhibitors, the aim of the prize is to distinguish a company in the optical sector for its contribution to reducing its environmental impact and optimizing its social impact. The show has collaborated with the CSR agency Hyssop, to draw up the award specifications and evaluate the candidate companies. An independent jury, made up of optics professionals and CSR experts, evaluated the applications and chose the winner of this first edition: MYKITA, a Berlin-based company founded in 2003, which has committed itself to a strategy of responsibility incorporating environmental and social aspects, in order to reduce the footprint of its products and its overall activities.

The  INTERNATIONAL  OPTICIAN  OF  THE  YEAR  AWARD,  awarded  by  the  IOA  (International Opticians Association) in partnership with SILMO Paris, encourages and rewards opticians for their vision and commitment to promoting the values of their profession. For the first time, it’s a Frenchman who has won this 2023 award: Jean-François Porte, co-founder of the Edgard group and vice-president of the Rassemblement des Opticiens de France.

The International Opticians Association (IOA) has given Thomas Truckenbrod a special award recognising his outstanding contribution to the optical profession.

The future of the industry is at the heart of the themes addressed by SILMO Paris.

SILMO NEXT, a multi-disciplinary forum dedicated to the future, retraced the latest technological innovations and major advances in Smart Eyewear, phygital experiences and eco-responsible design. In addition to this immersive retrospective, FUTUROLOGY unveiled unique experience zones for testing smart products, discovering new trends in virtual reality, and experimenting with an innovative approach to sustainable production.

Design is king at the show, and is expressed in two ways.

The first is the TRENDS FORUM, a space set up at the entrance to the show to enable visitors to immerse themselves in the major trends, thanks to a thematic selection of optical and sunglass frames from exhibitors present at the show. These trends are also illustrated in issue 33 of the digital magazine TRENDS by SILMO.

The second was the OPTICAL DESIGN CONTEST, reserved for design school students from all over the world; for this second edition, they were invited to brainstorm on a topical theme: sport. The jury, made up of optics and design professionals and chaired by Marie-Christine Dorner, interior architect, designer and scenographer, selected the Tribi concept by Hugo Plessis, a student at ESDAC in Lille: multifunctional eyewear for triathlon and biathlon. In addition to recognition in the world of optical eyewear, the winner and his school each received a cheque for 5,000 euros from the show.

On the subject of sport, with the Rugby World Cup being held in parallel with the show, and in anticipation of the Paris Olympics in 2024, SILMO ACADEMY scientific symposium focused on optimizing performance and guaranteeing success, during its training and discussion session. This theme was approached from two angles: the performance of the optical professional and the performance of the patient. Optical professionals have a key role to play in improving their patients’ quality of sight and quality of life. The various speakers unveiled performance measures for visual health, acuity or quality of life, shared good precautions and practices throughout life to optimize eye health, and stressed how important it is to associate optimally corrected vision with  performance,  whether  for  professional  reasons,  academic  success,  sporting  success  or safety, as in driving a car.

The sharing of information and best practices also finds an echo in THE TALKS: in a dedicated, open space, a variety of speakers – exhibitors, experts, journalists, observers… – address topical themes in 30 minutes. And for visitors who don’t have the time to take advantage of them during the  four  days  of  the  show,  these  Talks  will  be  available  in  their  entirety  on  video  on  the silmoparis.com website.

SILMO Paris, a forward-thinking trade show, focuses on the challenges facing the industry and distribution sector, and in particular on employment and talent recruitment. SILMO JOB did… the job, with exhibitors offering exclusive opportunities and direct meetings to recruit tomorrow’s employees.

History and expertise are inextricably linked at SILMO Paris. The MUSEUM OF THE COMB AND PLASTICS INDUSTRY in Oyonnax and the MUSEUM OF EYEWEAR in Morez are combining the wealth  of  their  reserves  by  exhibiting  a  (very)  small  part  of  their  collections  at  the  show, demonstrating  that  the  future  is  built  on  the  past.  In  the  same  heritage  vein,  the  BEST CRAFTMEN OF FRANCE (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France), who set up their school in Morez in 2011 to train and perfect eyewear professionals attracted by artisanal manufacture, gave visitors the opportunity to take part in eyewear discovery workshops.

Because SILMO Paris is global and open to the world, the 2023 edition welcomed our transalpine friends and neighbors PLACE D’ITALIE, a crossroads of creativity, a place for sharing and meeting Italian know-how in the center of hall 7, echoing the real Place d’Italie in Paris. Called the Place d’Italie since 1864, this Parisian square is located at the junction of a Roman road and still links Italy to France via the Nationale 7, a fitting symbol for a Place d’Italie at SILMO Paris!

One SILMO Paris closes its doors, another is in the works : until we meet again for an Olympic edition to be held from September 20 to 23, 2024, meet us at the upcoming events of SILMO Family:

SILMO Istanbul – November 23 to 26, 2023 SILMO Singapore – April 24 to 26, 2024