MIDO 2023 marks the beginning of a new era for the eyewear show with numbers that confirm its leadership position as it closed its doors yesterday on the 51st edition. The next MIDO will take place Saturday February 3rd to Monday February 5th 2024, at Fiera Milano Rho.
Attendance peaked at 35,000 industry professionals; 80% of them from Europe and 20% from the rest of the world. That is a 60% increase over 2022 visitor numbers. Also on the rise, Italian visitors made up 53% of the total.
Of the more than 1,000 exhibitors representing the entire supply chain – from machinery to lenses, along with frame manufacturers, and from the industry’s top name brands to young independent designers – 72% were international and 28% from Italy. Among the overseas exhibitors, 51% were from Europe, 42% from Asia and 7% from the rest of the world. The data, both for visitors and participation by industry professionals, once again confirm the unmistakable global reach of the show.
On the second day, the awards ceremony took place in a packed Fashion District square. Every year, MIDO presents awards to optical centres, the most sustainable booth and, new this year, the companies most actively engaged in sustainability.
Winner of the Bestore Design 2023 award was OTTICA BUX (Altamura) by Sabino Bux, that was chosen for the incredible mix of elements and staging, the perfect balance between elegance, luxury, art and craftsmanship, and for details linking the worlds of eyewear and music.
The Bestore Innovation 2023 award was given to MEGAOPTIKA (Lviv – Ukraine), by Taras Proniv, which distinguished itself through resourceful entrepreneurship. It combines the treatment of ophthalmic diseases, advanced diagnostics and a wide range of products, working in extremely risky conditions due to the ongoing conflict.
The Stand Up For Green award for the most sustainable booth was assigned to MARCHON ITALIA for its modularity, reusability, and the minimum space occupied by furnishings, which translates to reduced shipping impact.
MIDO 2023 also organized the first CSE – Certified Sustainable Eyewear Award. Created by MIDO in partnership with ANFAO and Certottica, the award evaluates sustainability in the eyewear sector at an international level. An authoritative jury of experts assessed the nominated products, based on detailed criteria on their environmental and social impact, taking into consideration the product’s entire life cycle: recycling of materials, reduction of consumption in production and distribution processes, best use of the supply chain, elimination of waste, level of recyclability, use of renewable energy, etc.
Here are the award winners in the 6 categories:
- CSE Award Sunglasses Europe: NEUBAU EYEWEAR – NEUBAU (Austria)
- CSE Award Sunglasses Rest of the World: MITA EYEWEAR – Vision of Tomorrow (USA)
- CSE Award Frames Europe: EYEWEAR 4 YOU – LLEXAN ITALIA (Italy)
- CSE Award Frames Rest of the World: MONOGRAM EYEWEAR (United Arab Emirates)
- CSE Award Cases Europe: ECO – MODO EYEWEAR (Italy)
- CSE Award Cases Rest of the World: KARUN EYEWEAR – KARUN (Spain)
Photo by Pietro S. D’Aprano/Getty Images for Mido