Mido’s Francesco Gili, far right, with the Italian Trade Commission USA’s Alessandro Greco, far left, and Paul Williams, center.
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NEW YORK—At a special event held here for the media, organizers of Mido, the international eyewear exhibition which will be holding its 45th edition in Milan’s Fiera Milano-Rho on Feb. 27 to 29, 2016, previewed exclusive consumer research about today’s consumer attitudes and values and also announced the debut of ‘More!’, a new satellite area of the established MIDO Design Lab for the 2016 event. “More!” will be a new exhibition space showcasing new creators of artisan eyewear, creative technology and innovation.

Cirillo Marcolin, president of Mido and ANFAO, the organization representing the Italian eyewear industry, discussed a preview of the upcoming Mido fair, along with Federica Andreoli, communication manager. In addition, Mary Alice Stephenson, fashion and beauty expert, and the founder of GLAM4GOOD, provided an overview of fashion and eyewear trends.


Mido’s Cirillo Marcolin and Federica Andreoli.
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“We decided to present Mido in New York City, because the U.S. is the world’s first reference market for the eyewear sector, with a 25 percent share of exports by Italian companies, experiencing a 31.9 percent increase in the first half of 2015, compared to the prior year’s first six months,” said Marcolin.

He added, “Mido is one of the few trade shows in the world which is growing and increasing its exhibition space. This

One of the striking images from MIDO’s 2016 campaign.
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is the result of years of keen attention to the needs of our stakeholders, visitors and exhibitors alike. We got to this point by fostering innovation, promoting experiences and maximizing interaction. This is how we have become the reference point for the industry. Buyers, distributors and opticians who want to make their mark and boost their competitiveness in the sector know that they must be at Mido.”

In addition to the expansion of the Mido exhibition with “More!,” the show areas will include Design Lab, Fashion District, Lenses, Tech and the Far East pavilions. Also, the 2016 fair will again feature the BESTORE Award, presented to the store providing the best shopping experience. An international jury of industry leaders and trend setters, experts in marketing and visual merchandising, will choose that store. The show will again also feature the BESTAND Award, which enables Mido visitors to choose the most interesting booth in the exhibition in terms of originality, innovation and interaction.

The show will also emphasize its new communications strategy including initiatives for visitors and exhibitors including social profiles and posting on such platforms as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn and Flickr.