An Ideal Attraction Pole

Silmo Paris proved once again that it is the pole of attraction for a dynamic sector with a spectacular fair from September 29 to October 2.

The enthusiasm of Silmo Generation was felt throughout the four days of Silmo Paris. 31,337 visitor-buyers attended the fair, including 15,902 from abroad, up 18.3% on last year and 15,535 from France, up 14.7% on last year. The total number of visitors increased by 16.5% compared to 2022. Visitors interacted with a total of 929 companies in Halls 6 and 7 of 75,000 m2 in Paris-Nord Villepinte. Silmo Paris 2023 had all the elements in place to ensure an energized and vibrant show for visitors and exhibitors alike.

Silmo Paris reflects the entire optical and eyewear industry, with large and small, historic and new players representing the entire value chain. The exhibitors’ contribution to the success of the show is enormous: the quality of their stands, products and services underlines how much they are investing in the future at the industry’s leading trade fair.

This year’s Silmo Paris firmly confirmed that the Paris event is now the place to launch new collections and brands as well as innovative concepts on an international scale. The power of the fair also fostered innovation, creativity and knowledge, giving perspective to the companies inventing the optics of today and tomorrow.

The 30th Silmo d’OR awards, presented in the enchanting surroundings of Folies Gruss, remain a pillar of the fair. The jury members, whom the organizers sincerely thank for their honesty and professionalism, meticulously examined all the entries and impartially selected the creations and innovations that caught their attention. The jurors were supported in their task by the Jury President Nicolas Fafiotte, an optics industry outsider who brought a different and challenging perspective to the table. The Silmo d’OR award went to Etnia Barcelona in the Children category, Marchon with Nike’s Flyfree in the Sport category, EssilorLuxottica with Varilux XR Series won the Visiual Health award in the Vision category and Morrow with Morrow eProgressives won the Optical System award. Saargos won the Material-Equipment category, Odlm-Seaport won the Optical Frame-Brand&Labels category with Carven’s CC1086-Vedo, and Seaport won the Sunglasses-Brand&Labels category with Carven’s CC4091S Nove. Sbrusset&Co won the Technological Innovation in Eyewear category, Andy Wolf won the Sunglassess-Eyewear Designer category with Blossom, and Cutler and Gross won the Optical Frame-Eyewear Designer category with 9126 Lunettes Cat-Eye. Veronika Wildgruber won the Premiere Classe Show Prize category of the Silmo d’OR awards with Lane, while Lafont won the Special Jury Prize with Ouvrage.

The Silmo d’OR 2023 ceremony was also the occasion for the presentation of two more awards, one of them for the first time. The An Responsible Company Award was presented for the first time to distinguish a company in the optical sector for its contribution to reducing its environmental impact and optimizing its social impact.  The fair collaborated with the Corporate Social Responsibility agency Hyssop to prepare the award specifications and evaluate the nominated companies. An independent jury of optical professionals and CSR experts evaluated the entries and Mykita was named the winner of this first edition. The International Optician of the Year award was also presented. This year the award went to Jean-François Porte, Co-Founder of Edgard Group.

The future of the industry is at the heart of the issues addressed by Silmo Paris. Silmo Next, a multidisciplinary forum dedicated to the future, revisited the latest technological innovations and key developments in the fields of Smart Glasses, physiological experiences and environmentally conscious design. Alongside this immersive retrospective, Futurology introduced unique experience spaces to test smart products, explore new trends in virtual reality and experiment with an innovative approach to sustainable production.

At the Trends Forum, visitors were presented with a thematic selection of optical and sunglasses from the exhibitors. This selection is also featured in the 33rd issue of Silmo’s digital magazine Trends.

The Optical Design Contest, aimed at design school students from around the world, was based on the current theme of sport. The jury of optical and design professionals, chaired by Marie-Christine Dorner, interior designer, designer and scriptwriter, selected the Tribi concept by Hugo Plessis, a student at Esdac in Lille.

On the subject of sport, with the Rugby World Cup being held in parallel with the fair and in anticipation of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Silmo Academy scientific symposium focused on optimizing performance and guaranteeing success during the training and discussion session. This theme was approached from two angles: the performance of the optical professional and the performance of the patient. Various speakers explained performance measures for visual health, acuity or quality of life, shared good measures and practices throughout life to optimize eye health, and emphasized how important it is to link optimally corrected vision with performance, whether for professional reasons or for academic success, sporting achievement or safety, such as when driving.

You can find the full daily coverage on Silmo Paris’ website and social media accounts, complemented by interviews, debates and live broadcasts to capture the impressions of visitors and exhibitors, revealing the uniqueness of products and companies at each day of the show. Silmo Paris Optical Fair will reopen its doors on September 20-23, 2024.

October 2023