Back with MIDO!

From tomorrow, Saturday 30 April, until Monday 2 May, MIDO is back in person and in complete safety at Fiera Milano Rho venue. This edition will revolve around various issues - from sustainability to innovation, with an eye straight ahead to the future - and is packed full of unmissable events.

The event’s President, Giovanni Vitaloni, offers us some sneak previews of the 2022 edition, which the whole industry is waiting for.

MIDO is just around the corner: what will kick off the 2022 edition?

Yes, finally it is here! Everything is practically ready at Rho Fiera Milano venue for MIDO, back from 30 April to 2 May with a turning point event that awaits over 660 exhibitors from 45 countries; in 5 pavilions, the fair will welcome Italian and international buyers, opticians, designers and press, ready to amaze the public with innovations and emotions alongside international business appointments featuring the coolest new accessories.

The event kicks off with the opening ceremony on Saturday 30 April; this will pay homage to art in every form by sharing beauty, music, dance, performance, reflection and news together with special guests and international figures.

This year, MIDO will revolve around three themes: sustainability, innovation and the future.

How will you implement these themes at the fair?

Since 2019, Mido has undertaken an approach targeted at sustainability and company transparency. The goal: to achieve ISO 20121 certification, which establishes the requirements of sustainable events needed to contain the impact on the environment and community.

Events such as MIDO involve the participation of many people, generating a significant environmental and social impact: trying to reduce these effects is not only an opportunity but a duty, just as it is a duty to increase awareness among exhibitors, suppliers and visitors, making them aware of the issues and transforming them into ambassadors of sustainability.

The objective pursued by MIDO is to minimise the environmental and social impact of the event, and this can be done only with the engagement and collaboration of all stakeholders. In fact, the process of certification is a journey which must be shared, which can be constantly enhanced and which is viewed positively by everyone involved.

MIDO 2022 has many initiatives scheduled, including:

• - for exhibitors, the first edition of Stand up for Green, which rewards the stand that is most attentive to sustainability;
• - for visitors, free transport is provided - trains from Rome, Florence, Bologna and Venice, shuttles between airports-fair-city centre, free buses for optometry schools;
• - for all operators, some events on sustainability have been organised at the Otticlub area;
• for the public, throughout the year, MIDO supports the activity of the non-profit CDV (free screening campaigns by eye doctors and opticians in various Italian cities and schools).

MIDO is also an opportunity to share ideas and thoughts emerging from the pandemic, in terms of solutions, innovations and products that look to the future and mark a break with the world before Covid-19. The future is already here and in this sense the global eyewear industry has seen an acceleration in the supply and demand of customised products along with greater awareness of sustainability, environmental and social issues.

Another important topic is safety protocols to prevent infection: could you give us a brief outline to reassure visitors?

Naturally, MIDO will take place in complete safety. The event is organised in such a way as to allow visitors to finally view the new eyewear collections in person, all in strict compliance with national safety regulations. In accordance with current regulations, admission to MIDO (until Saturday 30 April) will be possible with the basic Green Pass (issued by recent Covid test); meanwhile, to access the convention/conference areas of the Auditorium and Otticlub area, the Super Green Pass is required (issued subject to full vaccination or recovery from Covid).

From Sunday 1 May, access will be possible to both the fair and convention areas without any Green Pass. Inside the fair, it will be necessary to respect the following safety rules:

• - USE A SURGICAL MASK (OR HIGHER CATEGORY, i.e. FFP2) in all enclosed areas, and also outside in the event of large crowds of people.
• - KEEP A SOCIAL DISTANCE OF AT LEAST 1 METRE
• - PAY ATTENTION TO THE SEPARATE ENTRANCE AND EXIT LANES

On 30 April, 1 and 2 May, between 8am and 1pm, and 2pm to 4pm, there will be a COVID TEST HUB at the South Gate entrance (inside the fair grounds, before entering the event).

Let’s move on to the key events: will there be references made to the 50th edition?

Yes, of course. The opening event on Saturday 30 April in the Auditorium, will be presented by journalist Costanza Calabrese, with guest participation by historian and journalist Paolo Mieli and Chairman of the ICE Agency Carlo Ferro. It will be an opportunity to celebrate the protagonists in the history of MIDO and the eyewear industry, beginning from the first edition of 1970: past presidents of the event and the ‘longest-surviving’ industry players from over half a century.

What are the other unmissable appointments at MIDO?

Among the innovative events, next to the traditional BeStore that will reward opticians’ stores which stand out for the best shopping experience, lay-out of the store, materials chosen and furnishing (Design category) and for their package of services offered to customers, external communication, as well as their history and human and emotional aspects (Innovation category), there will be the first edition of Stand Up For Green, dedicated to the stand that makes an impression for its attention to environmental sustainability.

For visitors, the full immersion into the eyewear world will begin on arrival at the fair, thanks to the Buyers’ Rewards initiative, the exclusive programme that MIDO 2022 reserves to buyers with three themed gifts: MIDO 50 glasses (limited edition items from the young Italian brand Spectaful for the Yugaav collection, following a contest between industry players to come up with an iconic pair of glasses, to mark the anniversary); the book “Una Storia da Vedere” by Adriano Moraglio, revealing the 50 years of the eyewear show through the stories of three generations of opticians; and the invaluable book “Storia dell’ottica”, by Sergio Cappa and Silvio Maffioletti, strongly requested by MIDO which then dedicated it to the entire sector. It reconstructs seven centuries of history of lenses and eyewear, from the beginning up to the present day.

The fusion and influence of the art world is the fil rouge of another innovation: the exhibition “A colpo d’Occhio - Sguardo e visione nelle Arti” (At first glance - gaze and vision in the Arts) which presents 15 reproduced works to tell the story of vision through images and poetry. The initiative, sponsored by MIDO and curated by Prof. Elisabetta Parente, will take place with the sponsorship of SOL (Società Oftalmologica Lombarda), SIOL (Società Italiana di Oftalmologia Legale) and the Rotary Districts 2041 and 2042, being set up in the lounge of Otticlub area, pavilion 15.

And there is more: MIDO also proposes a reinforcement of its task of distribution and awareness. Always active in the various fields of visual wellness and eye health, from prevention and precise information on problems linked to eyesight, to the social importance of devices or gadgets for blind people; the event organisers have decided to dedicate an entire area to the Lions Blind Dog Service, in order to involve the public even further in these issues.

On Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May, visitors can therefore watch the training demos live, produced by the centre of Limbiate (Milan), one of the most important centres in Europe.

Traditional events are also confirmed: moments of debate and training in the Otticlub area, the presentation of trends and characteristics of the future consumer, in collaboration with WSGN; workshops to analyse various topics, including one dedicated to the power of colour in design, in light of the S/S 2023 season; and the convention with Federottica and the University Bocconi regarding “I nuovi scenari dell’omnicanalità e le sfide per ottici e produttori" (The new scenarios of the omnichannel and the challenges for opticians and producers)

Which digital strategy are you implementing?

In recent years, MIDO has been integrating activity regarding the physical fair attendance with constant updating of the digital content.

In light of the success of last year’s event, buyers and exhibitors already have a digital platform available to them, which can respond concretely and quickly to the key need of launching business opportunities. This is a useful tool for operators in attendance but also, and above all, to anyone who cannot yet travel due to the health restrictions and current political situation.

We think that, to build a truly bijective relationship with our visitors, it is necessary that everyone can refer to our social accounts to find the latest industry news, event information, and food for thought on the eyewear industry.

Our communication is based on the idea that everything revolves around the users, the real protagonists of a collective narrative that involves the entire supply chain and reveals MIDO and all its news, thereby maintaining an open and transparent dialogue with all industry stakeholders.

Within this strategy, the online WMIDO magazine guarantees industry information (and more) which is accessible, exact and precise, to all companies; our social accounts (which have grown on average by more than 15%, surpassing 10 million impressions in two years) talk about eyewear, MIDO and creativity in the field. Keeping together all these digital tools and relevance of the face-to-face activity is a specific choice, an effective way for us to ensure that everyone feels part of the huge container of ideas and talents that is MIDO.

Why is MIDO an essential presence?

The main reason that we cannot do without MIDO is that the DESIRE FOR MIDO is now great. We are ready to amaze both you and ourselves thanks to this cult item that is now part of everyone’s daily life: glasses.

And, also, because at MIDO we talk about way of life, tradition, innovation, culture, style, design... but we also focus on technology.

The companies in this industry have an extremely strong need to meet each other and this is why we are finally welcoming them back to our event, because it is only through the dynamic exchange of ideas that new energy can emerge to tackle future challenges. We look forward to seeing you!