慕尼黑国际光学眼镜展览会（OPTI Munich）是国际上最专业的光学眼镜展览会，是欧洲最大的眼镜展览会，一年一届在慕尼黑展览中心举行。每年年初在德国慕尼黑举行的“国际光学眼镜展（OPTI Munich）”是世界著名眼镜展之一，每届均有来自世界40多个国家和地区的600余家展商参展。作为欧洲市场最重要的眼镜行业大展，OPTI Munich每年都会吸引大批专业贸易观众和国际买家前来参观，展会1/3以上的参观观众来自德国以外。近年来，来自东欧国家的观众数量也有较大的增长。特别值得一提的是，与意大利的MIDO及巴黎眼镜展有所不同，OPTI Munich重点面向欧洲最富裕的地区——德语区，以及新兴的东欧市场。
OPTI初设展的理念使得OPTI Munich能够在每年的最早时段发布眼镜业年度流行趋势，展示国际眼镜行业最高端的技术、最超前的概念化设计以及最时尚的产品。
每年一月，光学行业的专家和创意人士在慕尼黑展览中心展示他们最新的产品。 作为光学和设计的国际贸易展会，opti代表从框架到镜片，隐形眼镜，低视力，商店配件，IT，营销和销售，仪器/工具/眼镜元素，配件以及配件的整个视觉光谱 技术设备和专业教育。
展品范围(Show Products):
光学设备、仪器及工具、显微镜、眼镜链、镜架/镜片、相关装饰物、眼镜零件及配件、眼镜盒及附件、儿童眼镜架、隐形眼镜及镜片、眼镜店设备、精密眼镜、望远镜、双目望远镜、清洁用品、镜片研磨设备、风镜、太阳镜/运动眼镜、太阳隐形眼镜、助听器、验光及眼科设备、视力矫正仪器、三脚架、工场设备、气压计、温度计、商店装配、EDP 等。
展会报告(Show Reports):
opti 2024 Final Report: the international trade show for optics & design as a perfect and brilliant kick-off into the optical year
This year's opti inspired opticians as an industry highlight at the start of the year. 21,500 visitors appreciated the common hub of all protagonists from the ophthalmic world. The exhibitors' sales successes and the communication of new trends, innovations and inspiration in new formats through the trade show's supporting programme certainly contributed their fair share to this great community spirit.
The enthusiastic atmosphere that could be physically felt in the halls on all three days of the trade show was the result of close cooperation between the opti team, exhibitors and industry representatives throughout last year, as evidenced by the numerous statements from trade show participants. And of course the numbers reflected the success as well, above all the 21,500 visitors from the industry, a good 60% of whom are decision-makers. Visitors came from 70 countries, attracted by the diverse range of at opti, but also to benefit in this positive atmosphere from the numerous innovative formats for knowledge, sales and dialogue. Visitors rated opti particularly highly: 93.4% of all visitors rated the atmosphere at opti 2024 as good to very good, 92.6% rated opti 2024 as good to very good overall and 82.4% are planning to place orders or commission assignments after the trade show.
The almost 390 exhibitors from 28 countries represented the entire optical supply chain: from machinery and shopfitting to contact lenses and spectacle lenses, from frame manufacturers and the industry's top brands to young independent designers. The exhibitors' figures are almost unbeatable: 94.5% of all exhibitors rated the visitor quality at their stand as good to very good in terms of interest in the products, 91% of them rated opti 2024 as good to very good overall.
"opti continues on its successful course! The feedback from visitors and exhibitors in many conversations confirmed that our trade show concept and the date in January are absolutely right. Close co-operation and the development of a joint concept with all trade show stakeholders over the course of the last year were crucial to the event’s success. It's great to see how the opti community loves its trade show and believes in it – the sense of community is what made this success possible!" said Cathleen Kabashi, head of opti.
Dieter Dohr, Chair of the Management Board of GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH which organises opti, emphasised: “I’m thrilled! The atmosphere was incredible, the joy of the industry was palpable. The visitors wanted to experience their trade show again and they were able to do just that. opti serves as a compass for the industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland when designing its product range and provides orientation for the business year as a whole. During this January weekend, opti reaped the success it has sown over the past twelve months through dialogue with the industry, round tables, listening and joint development."
Very positive assessment by all trade show participants (full quotes below)
Mirjam Rösch, Chair of Consumer Optics of the industry association SPECTARIS: "GHM's great commitment and many strategic considerations over the past twelve months have taken effect at all levels and have paid off completely. The halls were full, the many opti fans resolutely defied the rail strike and in some cases simply switched to other means of transport. There were lots of places to meet, the wide aisles were wonderful and those interested in further training were able to take advantage of a broad range of further training programmes in the various themed hubs. And don’t forget the amazing atmosphere, which was really infectious everywhere and gave us all a lot of courage."
Kai Jaeger, Vice President of the Central Association of Opticians and Optometrists (ZVA), also drew quite the positive conclusion: "opti 2024 impressed with a high frequency and a very good atmosphere among the visitors. At the opti CAFÉ powered by ZVA, we had some great discussions in which we noticed a growing interest in the profession’s development and the topic of vocational training and further education. Our participation in the hub discussions also provided new insights into the wishes of opticians and optometrists."
Exhibitors from all sectors were very positive about opti 2024 overall, according to Dieter Funk, owner of FUNK Eyewear: "opti has once again developed into an absolute gem. An industry gathering par excellence. We’ll be back here in 2025!"
Christian Seitz, CEO of the medium-sized frame manufacturer Vistan Brillen in Schwäbisch Gmünd, was also positive in his verdict: "We are a fan of opti and would like to exhibit here again in 2025. A big thank you to the trade show management for responding to us as exhibitors to such an extent and for taking many of our wishes and constructive criticism into account. It was so nice that we, as exhibitors, were able to have our say and be heard – the keyword here being the round table in Frankfurt. We had great visits, wonderful conversations, were able to network excellently and above all – the main reason we're here – we sold very well."
The industry market leaders, such as Thomas Smits, Managing Director of Silhouette Germany and Switzerland, summed things similarily: "After a year's break, we are pleasantly surprised by this year's opti. The past few days have not only met our expectations, but even exceeded them. The positive atmosphere at the trade show lays the foundation for further intensive discussions this coming year."
Exhibitor feedback was also very positive in the field of ophthalmic lenses, for example from Rodenstock: "We are very satisfied with opti, which was extremely successful for us. We consider personal contact with our customers very important and their many smiling faces showed us that both sides enjoyed meeting on site. For Rodenstock itself, the trade show was very successful – both on the sales side and in terms of the atmosphere. We look forward to next time," said Thomas Pfanner, General Manager DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
The atmosphere among contact lens manufacturers, who were well represented at opti, was excellent. Johannes Zupfer, General Manager DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), CooperVision, summarised his observations: "opti is back! We are very satisfied, had many visitors, many good discussions – especially on the subject of myopia, which we were able to bring further into the market. We are delighted that we have been able to further position ourselves here as a leading contact lens manufacturer."
The date is right
One topic that was repeatedly mentioned was the convenient timing of the trade show in January for the industry – for example by trade expert Prof. Dr Anna Nagl, head of the part-time Master's degree programme in Vision Science & Business (Optometry) at Aalen University: "One of the best things about opti is this date in January. Since opti started, so for 25 years, this trade show has been the kick-off for the industry's optical year – whether frames, lenses, contact lenses or optometry."
Exciting supporting programme
The carefully curated events and presentations on industry-relevant topics, which were developed in the spirit of #WEAREopti together with numerous partners from industry and ophthalmic optics, as well as the award ceremonies, allowed trade show visitors to discover trends and technologies, while panel discussions with experts provided answers and solutions for the industry. "The good numbers of visitors – whether at the opti SUSTAINABILITY HUB, the opti MYOPIA HUB or the new opti TREND HUB at the opti INNOVATION AREA, which was implemented for the first time – show us that we are on the right track with the concept of our supporting programme and that the journey will continue in this direction next year," said Cathleen Kabashi, head of opti. The opti HUBS also received top marks in the visitor survey: a good 85% regarded the topics of the opti TREND HUB as relevant to very relevant for them, and just as many respondents positively rated the opti MYOPIA HUB as interesting to very interesting.
The presentation of the opti SUSTAINABILITY AWARD, which went to Andreas Schmidt from Augenblick Brillen Kontaktlinsen GmbH, was extremely popular. The company has set itself the goal of keeping its ecological footprint as small as possible while taking the social aspect into account both locally and in the Augenblick team, including switching to LEDs and motion detectors and replacing a direct water connection by a closed system.
Another highlight of the opti supporting programme was the presentation of the third opti BOX AWARD to the Danish label SKANS – EYEWEAR WITH IMPACT. Its founder, Johanna Skans, comes from Sweden and is a second-generation optician. Sustainability is her lifeblood: she studied Business Sustainability Management at Cambridge and gained international practical experience in Australia. Sustainability is also the basis of her business model. The opti BOX AWARD recognises young designers for innovation, design, functionality and sustainability. SKANS follows last year's winner LARS Brillen. Johanna Skans said: „At Skans, every decision we make is via the sustainable lens. We always ask ourselves, can this be done even more sustainably? So, being at opti as an exhibitor is a fantastic experience. It has been of great value to show my frames to the German market, the Central European Market in general as a Nordic brand. I got new clients, my presence here spreads my sustainability message – which is good. I am overwhelmed still about winning the opti BOX AWARD, I am super honoured and flattered and still running on adrenaline. It means a lot to me, because it shows that people and the industry itself are believing in my sustainability concept. I hope it will inspire more people into joining the sustainability journey.“
Anticipation is high for the next opti: opti 2025 is to be held at the Fairground Munich from 31 January to 2 February.
