Three Weeks Until MIDO 2025: Featuring Business, Innovation, Training and Sustainability

Thursday, January 16 2025 | 16 h 02 min | News

In less than three weeks, MIDO 2025 will open the doors of Fiera Milano Rho to welcome more than 1,200 exhibitors from 50+ countries, including Italy, Germany, France, UK, Spain, USA, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, as well as India, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Brazil and Ukraine.

Compared to the previous edition, the organizers have staged approximately 1,000 additional square meters in the 7 pavilions of Fiera Milano Rho to ensure everyone has the space required to showcase their collections and innovations to their best advantage. Specifically, pavilion 6 has been expanded to host the Academy, Start-Up and MIDO Tech areas, as well as a new green-inspired installation designed to reflect the unmistakable style of typical Italian villages.

Pavilions 2 and 4, the domain of Design and Design Tech, also gained more space for innovations and the avant-garde. The other pavilions also underwent renovations to installations and layout: pavilion 1, with its Fashion District, empire of fashion and luxury, whose piazza will host the MIDO Awards ceremony (to be held Saturday, February 8 at 5pm); pavilion 3, land of lenses, from technology to innovation; and pavilions 5 and 7 that host FAiR EAST, showcasing the large and small companies in the Asian business arena.

Entirely revamped, including its name, is The Vision Stage, meeting hub for eyewear professionals, innovators and visionaries. It offers a dense calendar of conferences, panels and workshops that range from global trends to Made in Italy, sustainability to technological innovations.

Among the hottest events, Saturday, February 8, two meetings focused on trends: at 11am, journalist Alessandra Albarello will speak on 2025 Trends, while at noon, colour designer Francesca Valan will hold a session on The new dimensions of Colour. Then, at 1:30pm,a press conference with presentation of The Lens of Time, an ANFAO project celebrating the connection between innovation and tradition, with an exclusive exhibit at the historic Palazzo Flangini in Venice. At 4pm, the plenary room will host Breaking Optical Barriers: Women Who Conquered the Climb to Success, a topical event organized by OWA, the Optical Women’s Association, and promoted by MIDO on the contributions of women in the optical industry.

Many events scheduled for Sunday, February 9, beginning with an 11am meeting, OOPS, I said it again, on the topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, organized byANFAO. Guest of honour is actor and author Paolo Ruffini, who will guide us through the world of inclusive language with humour and engagement. At 1pm, WGSN, global leader in trend analysis, will present Future Consumer 2026, an analysis of the four consumer profiles that will define 2026. At 3pm, the Sport and Vision event: the importance of visual health in the practice of sports promoted by the Eyecare Commission, will bring to MIDO another honored guest: former soccer player Alessandro (Billy) Costacurta, who will speak about the role of vision in sports.

Among the most eagerly awaited moments, on Sunday at 4pm, presentation of the market research data by Optical Monitor, developed by GFK for MIDO. This event provides an exclusive look at consumer trends in key eyewear markets (Italy, France, Germany and the United States), delivering insights crucial to understanding global market needs and planning successful strategies. Sunday’s events at The Vision Stage will conclude at 5pm with Shared visions: projects and prospects for integration between the optical and medical areas, organized by Fabiano Gruppo Editoriale in partnership with ANFAO, the ANFAO Lens Group, Federottica and MIDO. The aim of the meeting is to promote ongoing dialog between the actors in the optical supply chain and the medical-ophthalmological area, with an eye to the future, while maintaining a healthy respect for their respective professional roles.

Monday 10th, of special interest, the 11am appointment curated by ANFAO on Sustainability, with Anna Zandanel who will analyze the role of ESG criteria in the eyewear industry; and, at noon, a presentation of STEPIC Innovations 2026 on the 12 trends that will reshape the world in 2026 in terms of society, technology, environment, politics, industry and creativity, produced by WGSN.

All of the events promoted by ANFAO will be presented and moderated by Marialuisa Pezzali, author and host of “Essere e Avere”, the Radio24 magazine on consumption and the latest trends.

The Vision Stage will also host presentations and conferences curated by leading companies, publishers and trade associations. These meetings will provide industry professionals with a complete, detailed panorama of the innovations, challenges and opportunities of the optical industry. The complete calendar is available starting today on the MIDO website https://www.mido.com/en/.

MIDO is held at Fiera Milano Rho, Strada Statale del Sempione 28, from February 8 to 10 with the following hours: Saturday and Sunday 9am to 7pm and Monday 9am to 6pm.

To always be up to date on MIDO news, visit the website https://www.mido.com/en/ and the official social channels Instagram @mido_exhibition, Facebook @MIDOExhibition, X @MIDOExhibition and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mido/posts/.

Click HERE for the press release.

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