OPTI– The International Trade Show For Optics And Design

OPTI (opti - The International Trade Show for Optics & Design), the Munich International Optical Exhibition in Germany, is one of the most important professional B2B exhibitions in the European optical industry at the beginning of the year. It is known as one of the three major optical exhibitions for eyewear optics in Europe along with Milan MIDO and Paris SILMO. It is hosted by the German GHM company and has been held annually since 1998, once a year, exclusively for industry professionals and not open to ordinary retail consumers. It is a core platform that focuses on the German-speaking region and the Central European optical channels.

The OPTI Munich Optical Exhibition in 2027 will be held from January 29th to January 31st, 2027, at the Munich Messe Munich Exhibition Center. The regular opening hours are from 10:00 to 19:00 every day. The exhibition will close early at 17:00 on the last day. As the earliest large-scale professional exhibition in the global eyewear industry each year, it closely aligns with the exhibition schedule of Milan MIDO in February, but has significant differences in positioning and buyer groups: MIDO focuses on global fashionable eyewear, sunglasses wholesale, and brand new product launches, while OPTI focuses more on optometry technical expertise, offline independent eyewear stores, and optometry workshops, and is a precise matchmaking exhibition for the German-speaking region, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Nordic and Eastern European markets.

The core audience of OPTI consists of optometrists, independent eyewear store owners, vision clinics managers, optical processing workshop owners, and regional wholesalers. The proportion of purchasing decision-makers is high. Buyers value the functionality, compliance, and practicality of products for retail in stores rather than trend-oriented models. Of course, there are also frame and sunglasses displays at the exhibition, but the procurement needs are mostly for regular replenishment and functional styles rather than large-scale low-price volume orders. The exhibition also features a rich series of industry forum sections, including OPTI NEXT GENERATION HUB, TOMORROW VISION, etc., covering cutting-edge directions such as smart glasses, myopia prevention and control, low vision assistive solutions, new optometry technologies, digital operation of eyewear stores, and vision store management. It is an important platform for industry technology exchange and learning.

The exhibition covers the entire optical industry chain for eyewear: the first category is frame and finished product products, including optical frames, designer frames, sunglasses, sports glasses, children's glasses, protective goggles, smart AR glasses; the second category is lens-related products, prescription lenses, progressive multifocal lenses, polarized lenses, myopia prevention and control lenses, lens coating materials, lens base materials; the third category is contact lenses and care products, soft and hard contact lenses, astigmatism and multifocal contact lenses, matching care consumables; the fourth category is optometry, eye screening, and vision detection equipment, computer optometers, diopters, trial frames, tonometry equipment, low vision assistive devices; the fifth category is lens processing equipment and workshop tools, edge grinding machines, polishing equipment, frame adjustment and repair tools, welding equipment; the sixth category is eyewear accessories, packaging materials, eyewear cases, eyewear cloths, nose pads, eyewear chains, screws auxiliary materials, cleaning supplies; and other extended categories such as store display cabinets, store lighting, store inventory management systems, vision training services, hearing assistance products, etc.

Many peers may wonder if they are suitable for participating or visiting the exhibition. In simple terms, lens factories, optometry equipment manufacturers, vision care suppliers, brands and factories that focus on functional sunglasses, and those targeting German and Austrian independent eyewear store channels are highly suitable to participate in OPTI. If the enterprise mainly focuses on selling low-priced and high-volume sunglasses and handling large-scale cross-border wholesale orders, then it is advisable to choose the Milan MIDO, the WOF eyewear exhibition in Wenzhou, and the WOF eyewear exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand. The matching degree will be higher.

Overall, OPTI Munich is not an exhibition mainly featuring fashionable and popular sunglasses. It is a professional optical exhibition with a stronger professional optical attribute and a channel more inclined towards European offline independent eyewear stores. If our target market is Germany, Central Europe, and Northern Europe, and we want to connect with local optometrists, chain optical stores, and regional wholesalers, and understand the new standards of European optical technology and store operation trends, then the OPTI Munich held in January every year is an indispensable stop in our annual overseas exhibition plan.