PARIS—Organizers of Silmo Paris are previewing several aspects of the upcoming Silmo exhibition, to be held Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at the Paris Nord Villepinte, including its role as an international exhibition and business platform for the optics and eyewear industry. The 2018 edition will include 108 new companies, including 20+ startups, according to an announcement. In addition, Silmo 2018 will deploy a series of event tools and additional media for attendees. These include:

• Silmo Next, an exhibition of trending products presented as a scenic forum, including Trends by Silmo, a digital magazine designed as a trend book, and Futurology, described as “a new space that aims to present the products and processes of tomorrow to the optics industry and to create connections between historical and new players to help new markets to emerge.”


Silmo organizers said, “Uber-isation is now a phenomenon affecting all sectors of the economy. It is a necessity for each part of our business to ensure its ‘indispensability,’ to appropriate new tools and products and transform its profession. Thanks to Silmo Next, Silmo Paris is again positioning itself as the standard bearer of the profession, highlighting new opportunities for all players.” In its first year, Futurology will promote products and start-ups across four major themes including sport, well-being and health, entertainment and additive manufacturing. Garmin, McLaren, Materialise, Everysight, 5th Dimension, LightVision, Microoled, Atol, Cinemizer and more exhibitors have already confirmed their presence here.

• Silmo D’Or Awards. The chair of the 2018 panel is Belgian designer and interior design expert Michel Penneman. An architect, he designed the Pantone Hotel in Brussels which earned him the Paris Hospitality Award and first prize in the Miami Travel & Leisure.

• Silmo Academy. The 9th Scientific Symposium will focus on the theme of “Vision and Growth”
(0 to 20 years of age) with a focused program on Sunday Sept. 30.

• Silmo M@tch is an app new that links the right product with the right buyer. It was launched last year, is now even more efficient. As a real personal shopper through artificial intelligence (AI), it makes it possible to suggest products according to the tastes and the purchase criteria declared by the visitors at their pre-registration. As users make choices and selections, the system improves the accuracy of the products suggested by using AI. The matches may then lead to appointments with exhibitors. An enriched version 2 that can be used year-round for visitors will be available in late August.