Mido 2005, a show business event
Now a 4-day event again, Mido - the international eyewear exhibition - held in Milan on 6-9 May, ended on a cautiously optimistic note. Visitor attendance figures were good, 39,278 to be exact (+5.8% versus 2004) but most importantly, exhibiting companies reported positive results and optimized their investment by making interesting contacts and new business opportunities.
Mido 2005 also sold more exhibition space, 132,000 gross sq.m. versus 130,000 last year, hosting 1,222 exhibitors who presented products under 2,000 different brands.
The organizers hope that these good results in terms of space will be even better next year, also in view of the decision that will be taken in October regarding a possible relocation to the new exhibition complex at Rho-Pero.
The greatest increase came from overseas visitors at 23,955, up by 6.6% over last year. Attendance figures from Italy were also good at 15,323 (+4.5%) as a result of the pulling power of the courses staged by Mido Education, which posted a boom in enrolments (671 participants), 67% more than in 2004, as well as the very interesting conference topics, such as progressive lenses.
Mido confirmed its reputation as a business generator, a place where new contacts are made, as well as a mainstay event for leading trade people from across the world. It is a fundamental asset for companies, especially during economic downturns where every investment in promotional activities must be carefully thought over.
'The success of Mido - stated Mido President Cirillo Marcolin- is an important sign, we hope this will be the harbinger of a pickup in economic activity and trade at international level. This applies not only to large-scale companies, as we are often led to think, but mainly to the small- and medium-sized businesses that invested their economic resources and pinned great expectations onto this year's exhibition.
For these companies, an exhibition that keeps up with the times and meets their needs is one of their business-critical promotional tools. I have always believed this and will continue to do so; the important thing is to identify the exhibition that best responds to one's needs, the one that always gives new stimuli and that combines, business, training and information, simply put … Mido!'.
Another success for the exhibition was the interest it generated among the media from around the world. The event was attended by 433 journalists, 281 from Italy and 152 from other countries, and was covered by leading TV stations, and fashion as well as current affairs magazines.
The two themed areas also generated significant interest: the new entry, Mido Kids, and the other area dedicated to eyewear and lenses for sports, Mido Sport. For the first time in Italy, in both of these areas, it was possible to see the eyewear 'exhibited' by an innovative hologram system.
The 36th Mido is slated for 5-8 May in Milan.
