KOTRA Participates in Optical Exhibition in Milan... Supporting Global Expansion of Korean Eyewear Industry

Operation of Korea Optical Industry Cooperative and Korea Pavilion at the '2024 MIDO Optical Exhibition (MIDO)'

KOTRA announced that from the 3rd to the 5th (local time), it operated the Korean Pavilion with the Korea Optical Industry Cooperative at the '2024 MIDO Optical Exhibition' held in Milan, Italy.

The Korean Pavilion operated by KOTRA and the Korea Optical Industry Cooperative at the '2024 MIDO Optical Exhibition' held in Milan, Italy /
[Photo by KOTRA]

MIDO is a globally prestigious exhibition leading the global ophthalmic optics market, alongside the French SILMO optical exhibition. It is regarded as a networking venue encompassing the entire eyewear industry, from manufacturers of glasses and frames to machinery and raw materials. Since its first event in 1971, this year marked the 51st edition, with 1,300 companies from 26 countries participating and over 60,000 global buyers visiting.

KOTRA and the Korea Optical Industry Cooperative selected 24 competitive domestic eyewear companies to operate the Korean Pavilion at this event. Notably, this year they diversified the product categories of participating companies to include ▲eyeglass frames ▲lenses ▲cases ▲contact lenses ▲eyeglass cleaners ▲goggles. Through this, they supported Korean companies' entry into the global value chain in line with MIDO's unique feature of covering the entire eyewear industry supply chain.

KOTRA promoted the Korean Pavilion to over 100 potential buyers starting one month before the exhibition to help domestic companies enter not only the Italian but also the global market. As a result, global major buyers such as Luxottica and Thelios visited the Korean Pavilion during the exhibition period and held business meetings with our companies.

Hong Jeong-ah, head of KOTRA Milan Trade Center, said, "Considering the difficulty of entering new supply chains and the closed nature of the ophthalmic optics industry, it is very important for domestic companies not to miss networking opportunities with major overseas buyers by participating in MIDO," adding, "Above all, it is necessary to quickly respond by understanding the latest trends in the industry and developing new products."

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