The 8th edition of DaTE, the showcase event for eyewear of the future, closed on September, 21 in Florence. 1,000 pre-registered professionals and select buyers visited the show, meeting organizers’ expectations and confirming the importance of in-person events.
The words of Giovanni Vitaloni, President of DaTE
“I can emphatically say we are pleased with the outcome of this edition of DaTE. In a complicated year like this, we believe it sent a strong message, not only about re-starting our industry but also about a true resurgence of optimism and confidence. We had the courage to organize an in-person event – the first for eyewear – and our efforts were reciprocated with the exhibitors’ exemplary motivation and the positivity and determination of companies and visitors”.
Over these three days, DaTE allowed exhibitors to show new collections, previously visible only on line, to present their innovations and projects, until now only shared digitally (after the postponement of MIDO 2020) and even to make a market debut.
Avant-garde eyewear is the future
“DaTE is an amazing space that encompasses many different realms that have as their sole purpose to create, experiment, innovate and amaze. DaTE is the place where avant-garde eyewear is the future, a future we are already part of” – remarked Dante Caretti, founding partner, along with Cristina Frasca, who revealed a juicy trend fact: “the new trend that came to light at DaTE 2020 is that there is no trend. The person wearing the eyewear creates their own look based on their personality and taste. Here at DaTE, everyone is free to be daring and bold and to come into contact with independent eyewear makers who take pride in their brilliant designers and their commitment to creativity”.
Thanks to the support of ITA (Italian Trade&Investment Agency)
Thanks to the support of ITA hosted European buyers and their Italian counterparts showed up and found out just how appealing independent eyewear can be. “Meeting face-to-face is still a must and those who were here really wanted to be – concluded Vitaloni. Quality in every area was achieved and we will keep working on the numbers, depending on the global health crisis”.
Online interaction with users also yielded positive results. Over the three days of DaTE, FB and IG posts reached 80,000 users with a total of 5,584 interactions, with engagement more than double the average. Video content exceeded 1,300 views in just a few hours after publication.
The next physical appointment with avant-garde eyewear will be in 2021 but DaTE continues online, through the end of the year, at https://dateyewear.ice.it, the platform developed with ITA that allows visitors to meet virtually with exhibitors and view their collections.
Updates and information are available on the website www.dateyewear.com and on Instagram www.instagram.com/dateyewear and Facebook https://it-it.facebook.com/DateEyewearOfficial/