PARIS—The organizers of the recently-concluded Silmo Paris 2022 exhibition, held at the end of September, reported that the show was "The recovery edition. The figures are now in and they surpass all expectations, with a spectacular rise in the number of international visitors and an increase in participation by French opticians," confirming that Silmo Paris is back to its pre-pandemic crisis levels. For the four-day trade fair, organizers reported 750 exhibitors across frames, sunwear, lenses, technical, brands, general purchasing organizations, services and more, and that the show welcomed nearly 27,000 visitors, roughly half from France and half from abroad.

In detail, the numbers of French visitors reached 13,462, for an increase of 21 percent compared to 2021. Foreign visitors, from 146 countries, reached 13,444, up by 10 percent from 2021. “These figures demonstrate the appeal of Silmo Paris, a leading trade fair that remains an international platform for business and a hub of interaction for all the professionals in the optical and eyewear industry,” confirmed Amélie Morel, chairwoman of Silmo Paris.

She noted, "While exhibitors ensure the success of a trade fair through their products, creations, innovations and services, Silmo Paris supports them through its unfailing organization and a complete ecosystem that showcases, informs and defends the stakeholders in the optical and eyewear industry.

As VMAIL reported in late September, the 2022 Silmo d'Or awards honored a range of companies in the fashion eyewear, technology and performance categories.

For the first time, Silmo presented its first Silmo Optical Design Contest, with the top honor awarded to Adi Abramov, a student at the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art in Ramat Gan, Israel.

The members of the jury, presided by designer Emmanuel Gallina, unanimously chose his project “Unfoldable. X,” eyeglasses and sunglasses with a sharp, minimalist aesthetic, in recycled plastic, with no screws or hinges, featuring temples that may be detached in a simple step thanks to an ingenious high-tech X-shaped construction. Adi Abramov’s objective was to create eco-friendly designer frames of which the industrial process rationalizes production and limits the use of materials.

The aim of the Optical Design contest is to stimulate creation and innovation and reveal future talents in designing tomorrow's eyewear. The international competition was open to all students over the age of 18 who are currently enrolled in a design program and who can demonstrate having already completed at least three years of higher education or the equivalent.

In a partnership with Silmo Paris, the IOA awarded the International Optician of the Year Award at the start of the Silmo d’Or awards ceremony. Among the four finalists—Wendy Buchanan (Canada), Grant Hannaford (Australia), April Petrusma (Australia) and Jean-François Porte (France)—the Australian Grant Hannaford won the award.

Fiona Anderson, the chairwoman of the IOA who made the trip from the United Kingdom for the occasion, awarded the prize to this professional based in the Southern Highlands. He is recognized for his sense of innovation and excellence in matters of clinical treatments, while leading the training of optometrists at the UNSW (the University of New South Wales, an Australian institution located in Kensington, a suburb of Sydney). “You are an inspiring model for our profession," Anderson said as she awarded the trophy to Grant Hannaford.

Silmo Next and Silmo Trends, The Right Optics podcasts hosted by designer Jason Kirk in conversation with different guests, the various educational Silmo Academy sessions, were among the other elements of the overall 2022 Silmo Exhibition.