OPTA
8.-10.4. 2022

Both Czech and Slovak eye optics markets keep growing and the OPTA fair is growing with them. The 21st run has surpassed the previous run in all parameters: 16% more exhibitors participated, visitors showed greater interest, let alone the fact that more visitors registered during the first two days of the fair than last year during the whole fair. It is estimated that the overall visitor rate will reach 5,000 people, practically exclusively registered experts.

The International Fair for Eye Optics, Optometry and Ophthalmology OPTA 2015 saw 150 exhibiting companies on exhibition area of almost 3,000 m². Vast majority of the significant players in the industry came to show off their innovations for the new season, whether they were eyeglass frames and sunglasses, correction and contact lenses, technologies or ophthalmological and optical devices. Foreign visitors from 13 countries came to the fair, most of them from Slovakia, naturally. The fair co-organizer is the Association of Czech Opticians and Optometrists (SCOO) and the Czech Contactology Society.

Optimistic mood radiated throughout the fair and corresponded to the situation on the market. „Purchasing power is increasing and the eye optics market in the Czech Republic is growing again, as we can also see at this year's OPTA fair - there are more exhibitors and larger exhibiting areas. The field of eye optics is thriving in the Czech Republic again, new optic stores pop up and the sales area shows slight increase, although not quite as much as it did in 2009,“ Richard Baštecký, President of SCOO, summarized the situation. At the same time, he reminded us that sales in brick shops struggle with huge competition on the Internet. According to Baštecký, that is why optic stores should focus on higher-quality products and consulting services which are impossible to provide online.

Each year, the OPTA fair contributes to increasing quality of merchandise offered in optic stores since exhibitors always bring the best and newest of their products. The best exhibits are then evaluated within the Top Opta competition which was held for the 10^th time this year. The evaluation committee assessed 17 exhibits in total and finally four products won the Top Opta 2015 awards: colour contact lenses AIR OPTIX® COLORS by Alcon, eyeglass frames Gucci Flora by Safilo, Line Art XL2063 by Sagitta and also a fully automatic device VX 120 combining several measurement methods by exhibitor Rodenstock ČR. The Top Opta of the Expert Public award which is decided by votes of expert visitors, went the the individual progressive eyeglass lens Impression® FreeSign 3 by Rodenstock ČR. The award-winning exhibit got 633 out of total 1,938 votes.

Within the hot topic of the fair was Design & Trend, a display-window arranging competition took place for the first time at the OPTA fair. Nine exhibitors competed for the votes of visitors who showed the greatest interest in the arrangement with eyeglass frames of the Aglaja company in a display window featuring live locusts. Nine display windows with original window-dressing ideas brought interesting inspiration for visitors' own display windows.

The Styling Point with professional consulting on complexion and skin care with practical demonstrations of make-up and hairstyles was a great success as well.

The fair was also highlighted by fashion shows by SAFILO and the social programme peaked with a magnificent OPTA party on Saturday where more than 700 representatives of the exhibiting companies and their clients enjoyed the beautiful venue of the SONO club.

Of course, this year has not gone without the expert supporting programme with lectures on attractive topics such as possibilities of 3D printing application in production of eyeglass frames or new materials for contact lenses.

The 22nd  International Fair for Eye Optics, Optometry and Ophthalmology OPTA will take place in 2016; we will inform you on the exact term after the independent survey we will perform among exhibitors.

What they said about the trade fairs

Jana Čierna, Executive Head at Sagitta:
This year's OPTA was a great success, After some weaker years, we notice customers are coming back and showing their interest. There are more exhibition stands and at the same time, they are nicely innovated. I see the trade fair positively, we are also satisfied with our own results. This year, we came here with a new concept; we exhibit together with two other companies and we have an education space for customers here, which they greatly appreciated.

Petr Vrubel, CEO at Optika Čivice:
We have always perceived OPTA in a positive way because it gives us the opportunity to meet many customers. We do not do business here, but we establish new business friendships and affirm the existing ones. That is why I would like OPTA to stay as it is now. It seems that times when there were some notions that perhaps OPTA should take place only once in two years passed because this year, no one said a word about it. I believe that OPTA will prevail into the future as well and it is certainly good that eye optics can be presented in such an exhibition - it is very important for our field.

Kateřina Ševcová, Marketing and Product Manager at Essilor:
As exhibitors, we are very happy with this year's OPTA. We found it livelier than in previous years and our stand was almost always crowded, so I am very happy. We had many visitors and many new interesting business opportunities. I can add one entirely unobjective measurement - almost twice as much coffee as last year has been drunk this year at our stand! We are glad to have been here.

Radek Adolt, Owner of Ardix:
We like this year's OPTA very much. The visitor rate was very good, especially on Saturday, as usual. Although we won't get economic results until after the fair, we are able to say that we are satisfied today already. We have made new business relationships here, deepened the existing ones and OPTA generally fulfilled our expectations.

Alice Tobolková, Executive Head at Aglaja:
I evaluate this year's OPTA positively. We like the new term, the visitor rate was higher than last year, visitors also showed greater interest in innovations. Business was great as well, we are very happy.

Pavel Halabica, Marketing and Sales Manager at Mr. Gain:
In our opinion, this year's OPTA was certainly bigger and more successful than the previous one. This is thanks to the change to the March term, when the weather is more favourable; either way, more visitors came to our stand than before. All in all, we feel great about this run.

Jiří Plesník, Sales Manager at Vision Care for the Czech Republic and Slovakia at Alcon Pharmaceuticals:
This year's OPTA was great, we won a Top Opta award for our product and the visitor rate was much higher than in previous runs. We also felt that customers were in a better mood, too. Maybe it's the March term and beautiful weather. And there were still many people even at Sunday noon, which is unprecedented. We are truly satisfied.

Marek Hlavenka, Sales Manager at Vision Care for the Czech Republic and Slovakia at Safilo:
OPTA was excellent this year - superb! We are satisfied and I am not only talking about numbers. The fair got a new impulse this year, a new dimension and I am very glad that happened. And of course, I would like to thank everyone for cooperation: exhibitors, the Association of Czech Opticians and Optometrists, Slovak Optical Union and Trade Fairs Brno - we made it.

Andrea Uhraková, Marketing Specialist at Finest Trade:
This year's OPTA was certainly better than the fair last year, including the fair term. There were more visitors and we evaluate the fair positively in general, we are satisfied in terms of business as well.