The 2007 edition of MIDO on the starting line

It has been a long and difficult path, marked by constant, hard work, but now, about two weeks from the start of the Event, the results have come to fruition. The 37th edition of Mido, the most important International Optics, Optometry and Ophthalmology Show in the world confirms the growth predictions and registers an exceptional + 15.2% assigned net exhibition space compared to 2006, 53,000 net square meters compared to about 46,000 at the last edition. Not counting the over 1,000 meters of additional space occupied by the Press Village and the stands reserved for organizations, associations and fairs.

The rationalization of the spaces at the Event for product sectors, arranged on one level, is surely a vital part of this edition where the participants are assisted during their critical meetings and comparisons by a simple and immediate logic of usability.
The desire to offer all exhibitors additional services has been made possible in particular thanks to the wise decision to transfer the Event to the new site of Fieramilano, in Rho-Pero; an initiative that is surely welcome, which confirmed the growth trend in the number of exhibitors, with +8% compared to the previous year.

Compared to the original fair lay out, the 37th edition of Mido has added an extra hall, number 6, to the already existing halls 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 7.
This year's innovations include the creation of the Mido Design Lab, a date not to be missed by all those interested in avant-garde designs and products. The Mido Design Lab is an evolution of the area known in the past as Mido Trend, which focuses exclusively on design prototypes and products, an important and exclusive show case for companies selected by a special panel of experts.

And this year too the date is renewed, in the halls of the new Fieramilano, Rho-Pero, with Mido Education, a window on technological and scientific innovation and the most important issues of interest to those working in the sector of optics and ophthalmology.

Mido presents a more concentrated and specialized offer for the 2007 edition, planned with about 15 courses, each lasting four hours, which will be held from 5 May, in the halls of the Service Center, at the FieraMilano-Rho Congress Center.

Of particular interest on Saturday 5 May is the Congress entitled 'Lenti Progressive: prospettive future' (Graduated lenses: future prospects), organized in the Mido Education section; an essential opportunity to meet and learn, with meetings based on scientific subjects, and vast space devoted to marketing issues.

And again with a view to offering participants a tailor-made service, we must not forget the anti-counterfeiting desk and the Customs Office stand.

Coming in from the East Entrance, on a level with the red line underground station, right inside the fair, which also leads to Piazza Duomo, the heart of the city center, are the halls 1, 3 and 5, which will be dedicated to manufacturers of frames and sunglasses; hall 2 exhibitors of lenses and 4 frames and international groups; hall 7 Mido Design Lab and the Press Village. Hall 6 will be home to Mido Tech, an area reserved for machinery and component manufacturers, where a number of service areas will also be set up, for example the Foreign Club.

So, the new fair location of Fieramilano is preparing to host the event, and will become the beating heart of international eyewear for those four days.

The modern halls, designed by the brilliant architect Fuksas, will be the setting of the many contradictions that animate the style and fashion of international eyewear; spectators will find themselves faced with a kaleidoscope of colors, contrasts and shapes. Allusions to the past, but with an eye on the future, a bridge between old and new, which offers frames, for sunglasses and ophthalmic models, that can be worn indifferently day and night.

And to honor the ultimate protagonist of Mido, eyewear in its many facets and interpretations, there will be an unprecedented fashion show in the evening of 4 May. Organized in conjunction with Vogue to celebrate 40 years of history of an accessory, which has become an object of desire over the course of time, influencing fashion, customs and society.