Optrafair, the British optical-eyewear show was held for the first time in London this year.

Held from April 11 to 13 in West Kensington, the Optrafair London debut attracted 4,616 attendees. They were able to see 500 brands presented by 150 exhibitors. The organizers, The Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO), the journal The Optician and Reed Exhibitions were all pleased with the results.

The event, which was held in Birmingham for over 40 years, will now alternate between the two cities. This decision is not unrelated to rival organizations' attempts to hold a show in London, providing competition for Optrafair. The FMO said its efforts to move the show to West Kensington means the profession and the industry can be confident that a world-class event will now take place in London as well and will provide a showcase for UK optical brands.

In 2013, The Eye Show London was scheduled to be held February 12 to 14, but was cancelled two weeks before its official opening by organizer Emergexpo. Despite the letdown, this seems to have alerted Optrafair organizers to the urgent need for a show in London.

Optrafair 2015 will be held April 13–15 in Birmingham.

Sources:

http://www.fmo.co.uk/news.html

http://www.opticianonline.net/Articles/2014/04/15/32434/Optrafair+London+visitor+numbers+announced.htm

http://www.insightnews.com.au/_blog/NEWS_NOW!/post/The_Eye_Show_in_London_collapses/

http://www.visionmonday.com/latest-news/article/optrafair-london-2014-debuts-in-west-kensington-1/