The Silmo 2020 eyewear show has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event had been scheduled for Oct. 2-5 at Paris Nord Villepint.
“At this juncture where the registered exhibitors were about to make additional expenditures to finalise their participation in the trade fair, and where visitors were about to begin making travel plans, there were still uncertainties as to whether the trade fair would be able to take place as planned,” Amélie Morel, chairwoman of the Silmo Association, said in a statement. “In the absence of immediate visibility, the SILMO Executive Board met with its partner COMEXPOSIUM, and took the unfortunate decision to cancel the Silmo 2020 Paris event as it was planned to take place at Paris Nord Villepinte.”
She said 688 exhibitors had registered.
Despite the cancellation, Silmo “will pursue our commitment to guide the industry’s return to business, ensure our mission to promote its products and services, and uphold our pledge to the optical and eyewear sector,” Morel said.
She explained:
- “From October to November 2020, Silmo will set out to encounter opticians in France and throughout Europe. ‘Silmo Hors les Murs’ (‘Silmo Outside the Walls’) will propose events that honour our commitment to support the industry, in keeping with the Silmo convivial spirit!” The effort will begin Oct. 4 and 5 in Paris and will be repeated every Monday in October in a different city, such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes and Brussels. The program is still being finalized.
- The 2020 Silmo d’Or awards will go forward, open to all of the companies registered to-date.
- Once again this year, Silmo Academy will issue a scholarship to support a scientific research project in vision and optics.
- “Through a specialised application, Silmo Next – a laboratory of ideas, a forum for interprofessional discussions, and a showcase for creation and innovation – will present the summary of the work that began two years ago, probing into the future of the sector, product developments, and the optical profession: ‘Towards a Techno-Responsible Optical and Eyewear Future.'”
Silmo 2021 is now set for September 24-27, 2021, at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition center.