EXCO Opens 'Daegu International Optical Fair'... Comprehensive Overview of Ophthalmic Industry Trends

5,000 Domestic and International Buyers Attend

The 21st Daegu International Optical Fair (DIOPS 2023), hosted by Daegu City and organized by the Korea Optical Industry Promotion Agency (Director Jin Kwang-sik), will be held at EXCO for three days starting at 11 a.m. on the 5th with an opening ceremony.

The 21st Daegu International Optical Fair, themed "New Wave," will showcase the industrial and commercial changes after the COVID-19 endemic in one space called DIOPS, presenting a platform for exchanging new industries, new technologies, and new products in Korean optics.

This DIOPS, held as a full-scale face-to-face industry exhibition after the endemic, has seen booths sold out early, raising expectations in the related industry. With a total of 150 companies and 380 booths, about 5,000 domestic and international buyers, including 300 from 18 overseas countries, have pre-registered so far.

With the current easing of domestic and international entry and exit regulations, the number of overseas buyers is expected to be more than three times that of last year, which is anticipated to bring significant vitality not only to the domestic market but also to exports.

The 'Daegu International Optical Fair' held at EXCO last year.

As large as the scale of participation, many famous domestic and international eyewear brands are participating, attracting attention. In the ‘Hall 5 Brand Pavilion,’ seven leading Korean brands will participate with large booths: H2C Design Co., Ltd. (KNOUUN), World Trend Co., Ltd. (FRANK CUSTOM/IRONIC ICONIC), Jung’s Optical Co., Ltd. (VYCOZ), JCS International Co., Ltd. (CLROTTE), Phantom Optical (PLUME), and Hub Eyewear Co., Ltd. (PLASTA).

Also, the domestic house brands and imported brand group EFIS (Eyewear Fair in Seoul) will participate with 15 companies forming the International Brand Pavilion, including Ajou Optics (CAZAL), Ogen Design (KAFFEINE), Optic Korea Co., Ltd. (Rodenstock, Porsche Design), and Geo Corporation Korea Co., Ltd. (Anne et Valentin, MYKITA, Geumja Eyewear).

In ‘Hall 6 Technology Pavilion,’ many OEM/ODM, lens, contact lens, accessory, and convergence items will participate, including Huvitz (optical instruments), Shinil Optical (optical instruments), Potec Co., Ltd. (auto refractometer), Geonyeong Cleaner Co., Ltd. (ultra-microfiber cleaners), CMA Global Co., Ltd. (ultra-microfiber cleaners), Lensfree (contact lenses), Withlens (contact lenses), UICom (contact lenses), and View Science Co., Ltd. (contact lenses).

The products and brands of participating companies, as well as various special pavilions, will provide a rich viewing experience. These include the ‘K-Eyewear Trend Pavilion,’ where visitors can see Korean eyewear trends at a glance; the ‘Smart Glasses Special Pavilion,’ showcasing the future of optics; the ‘Daegu Buk-gu Excellent Companies Pavilion,’ gathering original technology companies in the eyewear special zone; the ‘I&Shop & Eyewear Korea Promotion Pavilion,’ where products traded online can be seen during DIOPS; and the ‘Small Business Joint Pavilion,’ featuring outstanding products from small eyewear artisans. Additionally, a ‘Job Fair’ and the ‘I-Bill Advanced Equipment Center Promotion Pavilion’ will be operated to present advanced convergence technology and the future of optics in one place.

Especially in the Smart Glasses Special Pavilion, a new experience space combined with virtual reality will be introduced, allowing visitors to see how smart glasses will establish themselves in our daily lives in the future.

Furthermore, a substantial optical conference program has been prepared by inviting renowned domestic and international speakers. On the 6th, the ‘Global Optical Conference’ will feature lectures on global eyewear design trends and the growth direction of the optical industry by Hideo Ozawa from Hug Oza Co., Ltd. (Japan), Wataru Aoyama from Charmant Korea (Japan), and Christine Allison from the Vision Training Education Association (USA). This conference aims to provide insights into the future vision of the optical industry to domestic and international industry stakeholders.

In February, the DIOPS Secretariat signed an MOU with six branches of the Korean Opticians Association and provincial optician societies (Busan, Daegu, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, Ulsan, Daejeon), confirming on-site continuing education and group visits for about 4,000 opticians, the largest scale in DIOPS history, during the event. Participants will receive 4 points for on-site continuing education, encouraging active participation from opticians.

Ahn Jung-gon, Director of the Economic Bureau of Daegu City, said, “The Daegu International Optical Fair is the only professional eyewear business exhibition in Korea and contributes to the development of the optical industry. Through this exhibition, we will promote the excellence of K-Eyewear and provide a platform for local eyewear companies to communicate and exchange widely with domestic and international buyers.”

DIOPS 2023 will be held from May 5 to 7, 2023, at EXCO East Hall, Halls 5 and 6, Daegu.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.