Optrafair, the traditional British eyewear show, has been held for over 40 years in Birmingham every other year in the spring, and its next session will take place as scheduled on April 13-15. The Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO), which sponsors the trade show, has insisted on the location, arguing that its central location in the country benefits the majority of British opticians.

The FMO has now announced that Optrafair after that will be staged in 2014 in London, with the idea of maintaining its session in Birmingham on odd years. The trade show would thus become an annual affair, as is already the case with similar exhibitions in France, Germany and Italy.

The 2014 show is scheduled for April 11 to 13 at the Olympia Central fairgrounds in West Kensington, a rather central area of London. The organizers say with this move, they wish to turn Optrafair into a “world class” event that would attract visitors from overseas, in addition to the national trade.

Evidently, the FMO's move is a reaction to the aborted project of The Eye Show, which was going to take place in London in mid-February, and to plans by another company, Media 10, to launch a similar show at the Excel fairgrounds in London in February of next year. That project would be in direct competition with the London Optrafair.

There is speculation that Media 10 could partner with the FMO for the new London show, but a spokesperson for Optrafair declined to comment. The FMO said it will host Optrafair London in partnership with one of the best-known names in optics. It added that more news about the 2014 event will be divulged over the next few weeks. The name of the partner is likely to be announced at the Optrafair in Bimingham.

Meanwhile, the organizers of Optrafair have been adding new features to the show taking place in Birmingham later this month. One of them will be a dedicated daily TV program that will run throughout the show to draw traffic to the exhibitors' stands. The footage will be placed at their disposal for subsequent use on their own websites.

The FMO and other industry associations, such as the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians (Fodo), as well as some of the exhibiting companies, are going to stage new gatherings and other new activities at this month's Optrafair.

In a rather smart move, William Morris London has announced that it will make a donation to Optometry Giving Sight for every frame it sells at the fair.