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Barcelona Specs: May 9-10, 2020

Since the very first eyewear trade fair almost seven years ago, the ambition of copenhagen specs’ CEO/Founder Morten Gammelmark has always been to support and promote independent eyewear. To get the stories behind all the fantastic independent brands told, to show the opticians what a great mix of eyewear brands there are in the world, and make the opticians bring the independent brands to their shops and tell the stories to their customers.

On May 9-10, 2020, the doors of the Italian Pavilion, Fira Montjuic at Plaça d’Espanya will open to the very first edition of Barcelona Specs.

The unique fair concept will be the same as the fairs in Copenhagen and Berlin, with small booths, focus on the product and a cosy and very unique atmosphere.

Independent eyewear brands will include Etnia Barcelona, Moscot, Garreth Leight, Barton Perriera, RES/REI, Cazal, Xavier Garcia, Woodys Barcelona, Kaleos, lafont and Morel, amongst many others.

Morten Gammelmark, Founder/CEO of Barcelona Specs says: “We are very happy to bring this unique eyewear fair concept to Barcelona and open the doors for the first time soon. We have already experienced a lot of interest from both eyewear brands and opticians, who want to visit. Together with our partner, SILMO, the long-time promoter of eyewear excellency, we will continue to work hard to ensure, that the first edition of Barcelona Specs will be a great eyewear fair for south Europe at springtime.”

Click HERE for the press release.

Safilo Canada Hosts National Sales Meeting

Safilo Canada held its National Sales Meeting in January, at the Andaz Luxury Hotel in Ottawa, ON.  The event brought together members of the sales force, key accounts, retail chains as well as members of brand management, trade marketing and other commercial team support staff from the company’s Canadian headquarters in Montreal, QC and North American headquarters located in Secaucus, NJ.

The theme of the high-energy event was “Everything is Possible”. One of the meeting highlights was a motivational keynote on sustaining high performance teams by honored guest speaker Dr. Kimberley Amirault-Ryan, who has worked at five Olympic Games with the gold medal winning Women’s Hockey, Cross Country Ski and Speedskating teams.

Her inspirational presentation described the hard work done behind the scenes to attain the highest levels of success in professional sports which she was able to translate into best practices for the Safilo sales team to unlock their fullest potential for sustained high performance.

As part of the four-day event, guests were treated to a cocktail and awards dinner gala honoring top sales achievers. Awards such as Top Synergy Market, Top Growth, Top Rookie and Presidents Club were presented.

Eric Blanchette (L) with Canadian sales team award winners.

Click HERE for the full press release.

2020 SALON VISION-R Registration is Open

REGARD ACTION’s SALON VISION-R and the Optical Summit East from the Opticians Association of Canada (OAC) come together this year to form a single meeting for Canada’s optical professionals. All eye care professionals -opticians, optometrists, support staff and students- are invited to discover new products, promising technologies and services that will redefine tomorrow’s market.

Registration is now open (simultaneous translation will be on site for training sessions). Save the date: Saturday, May 2, 2020 at the Manoir Saint-Sauveur, QC.

The event features more than 50 suppliers, 4 hours of training, dinner (included if attending the exhibition hall) and an evening under the Casino Royale theme … Only 350 places are available for the Casino Royale evening.

For entrepreneurial opticians and optometrists, a special evening will also be organised to introduce eye care professionals who have taken the leap into entrepreneurship. They will be there to advise attendees and share their challenges and tips for success.

For a free invitation, contact Jacques Bienvenu at jbienvenu@regardaction.com. This evening will be held on Friday, May 1 at the Manoir Saint-Sauveur from 6:30 PM to 9 PM (dinner included).

Registration ends on March 27, 2020.

Online registration: https://regardaction.com/professionnels/salon-vision-r/

Click HERE for the full press release.

Creation of an Innovative and Minimalist Structure

Morel by Nathalie Blanc is an exclusive, premium collection. Extreme care has
gone into crafting these frames, from the early sketches to the finishing touches.
Their innovative structure and trendy design make these frames exceptional.
These frames with titanium nose pads, easily adjustable temples and Nathalie
Blanc Signature on the temple tip are a creation of an innovative and minimalist
structure.

Photo: Model 90002C

Distributed by Lanctôt: www.rlanctot.com

Grimard, Vision Care Centre, Winners at Transitions Academy Awards

Capping off two full days of entertainment, education and engagement, the annual Transitions Academy, held in Orlando, FL, honoured their best-in-class partners 7 different categories. Several Canadian players are represented in the Award Finalists.

Grimard Optique was the winner of the Canadian Retailer of the Year category.

Vision Care Centre of Toronto, Ontario was named Canadian Eyecare Practice of the Year.

Here are the Finalists in the Canadian categories:

Canadian Eyecare Practice of the Year

Eye Station Optical, based in Richmond BC. Their 2019 initiatives generated a 30% penetration rate of Transitions lenses sales.
LOPTICIEN.CA, based in Laval, QC. Demonstrated an absolute increase in Transitions pairs sold of 68%.

Vision Care Centre, Toronto-based Optometry practice. Deployed interactive demo tools to generate 36.5% penetration rate for Transitions lenses.

Canadian Retailer of the Year

Grimard Optique, recently acquired by FYidoctors and COSTCO Optical Canada are the nominees for Canadian Retailer of the year

Several Canadian organizations are also nominated in categories that include international entrants.

Best in Marketing

Bonlook, founded in 2011 was among three finalists. The family-run business, defines its mission as providing an eyewear wardrobe with quality lenses featuring styles designed in Montreal.  Bonlook is up against nominees Spring Hill Eyecare, an independent Optometry practice in Tennessee, and Value Optical, a previous finalist in 2017 and 2018, based in Trinidad and Tobago.

Best in Training

Costco Canada earned a nomination in the training category and are up against LensCrafters (USA) and Walman Optical.

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