Mido Marks 40th Anniversary During Three-Day Exhibition in Milan
March 8, 2010 12:30 AM
MILAN—Retailers, distributors, suppliers and media from the international optical industry reviewed new collections, technologies and education during the 40th anniversary of the Mido International Optics, Optometry and Opthalmology show held here on a new three-day, Friday through Sunday timetable this past weekend.
The early March timing at the Rho-Pero convention complex featured approximately 1,100 exhibitors from 44 countries, organizers said. Final attendance numbers were not available at presstime, though traffic was fairly consistent during the show's opening day as visitors toured stands in a slightly reorganized and consolidated pavillion setup, with extended show hours on Saturday evening in the Mido Design Lab.
A photo retrospective of the various venues and milestones of the show was a feature in the Design Lab pavillion. Also featured at the show were the results of the one-year-old "I Am With Mido" advertising "solidarity" campaign, which donated funds throughout the past year and allocated one Euro for every visitor to the fair this year to support an initiative promoted by CBM Italian Onlus to prevent xerophthalmia, a form of blindness caused by a lack of vitamin A, which particularly affects children in developing countries. In Ethopia, which received some 40,000 Euros from ANFAO and Mido during the campaign's first year, clinics and eyecare specialists have already begun to treat children in need, organizers reported during the Mido pre-fair press conference.
ANFAO also related that the world economic situation impacted Italian eyewear production in 2009, which was reported at 2,251 million Euros, a downturn of 13.3 percent compared to the prior year, primarily due to a decrease in exports, which account for some 85 percent of Italian production.
Next year's Mido will be held March 5 to 7, 2011 at the Fiera Milano Rho-Pero, organizers said.