Mido 2005 will take place from May 6 to 9

Mido 2004, the leading international eyewear trade fair, had barely closed its doors upon a gratifyingly huge influx of exhibitors and visitors (+46%), when fair organizers felt it was imperative to poll participating professionals. Their goal was to measure exhibitor satisfaction with the show itself and to outline future strategies and set priorities, in terms of dates and times for the next year's event.

Over the last few weeks, all Mido exhibitors received a survey containing a series of questions designed to define their experience of the three-day show--the schedule they had asked for when polled on the issue during the year leading up to the 2004 trade fair.

The extremely high response rate, 90.8%, confirms not only the validity of the poll itself, but also is an indicator of the professionals' interest in Mido's ability to maintain its role as an essential marketing tool for the entire industry. A preference for the four-day format emerged, with a request for shorter hours on the fourth (closing) day.

Therefore, the forthcoming Mido event will take place from May 6 to 9, 2005, with opening hours from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday. 'The decision to compress the show into three days, with extended hours for the 2004 event', according to Cirillo Marcolin, President of Mido, 'was based on a specific request by the international exhibitors, who felt this would be the best solution for their own business, particularly in light of the general state of the macro-economy. It's likely that the changing market conditions and the new thrust toward a healthier economy influenced this change of course, pointing the way to a rosier 2005, on the upswing, and thus favoring a return to the traditional format, a four-day event, with reduced hours only on closing day. As always, we respect this choice, which seems to bode well for a complete recovery for our industry'.

Following is the calendar for Mido 2005:
Friday May 6, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday May 7, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sunday May 8, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Monday May 9, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.