MUNICH, Germany—The 2023 edition of opti wrapped up on January 15 in Munich, Germany. The show, which began on January 13, marks the first major international optical international trade show of the year. This year, organizers said the show saw about 15,500 visitors from 67 countries, an increase of 19.2 percent compared to 2022. In addition, opti 2023 saw a total of 307 exhibitors from 28 countries. Klaus Plaschka, managing director of show organizer GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH, said, “opti is back and on course for success."

"Three inspiring trade show days with visitors and exhibitors from all over the world have come to an end. I would like to explicitly thank everyone who believed in opti with us and made the success possible. Seeing the industry united again in such a great atmosphere was my highlight,” Plaschka said.

This year’s show featured a new and more compact hall layout, as well as a number of lectures and discussions in the Suitability Hub and Myopia Hub focusing on trends, research methods and technologies. Exhibitor tours, organized by epitop GmbH and other exhibitors, addressed various key topics including smart imaging in ophthalmic screening and myopia management. The show’s social media sessions were also popular and featured German optician and eyewear blogger Sarah Schleicher and French optician Anne-Sophie Lapetite from AnSoStyle answering questions.

The show also featured the presentation of opti’s second annual Box Award. Winner LARS Brillen - Swiss Made, is a sustainable, 3D printed eyewear start-up. An international jury of experts chose the winner, evaluating contestants under the new criteria of innovation, design, functionality and sustainability.

The LARS Brillen team said, “We traveled to opti to learn: we wanted to present our collection and get feedback on our patented hinge and our models. The fact that we received so much wonderful feedback on our collection over the three days, had many interesting conversations with potential customers, were able to discuss technical issues with other product designers and exchange ideas about the latest technologies—and even got to travel back to Bern with the opti BOX Award in our pocket, exceeds all our expectations.”

opti 2024 is scheduled for January 12 through 14, 2024 in Munich. Organizers said that over 83 percent of visitors already plan to return next year.



Photo courtesy of Impressions opti 2023 © GHM

Award ceremony of the opti BOX AWARD 2023: Jury members Sabrina Oberlander, Jürgen Bräunlein, Dagmar Schwall, Klaus Plaschka, Anne-Sophie Lapetite with the winners Silvia Nadenbousch and Simon Krähenbühl of LARS Brillen. Photo courtesy of Impressions opti 2023 © GHM