Over 5,590 trade visits from Australia (all states), New Zealand, and Asia and as far afield as Italy and the United States attended the OMEGA19 event in Melbourne from July 19-21, which included 130 exhibitors, over 1,100 Conference delegates and 610 masterclass delegates.
The three days of OMEGA19 were jam packed with an array of new interactive features, major networking events and strong educational content, including revamped masterclasses and spotlight seminars.
The clinical conference at O=MEGA19 has been the strongest presented in Australia for many years, with the biggest line-up of world-class speakers participating, including keynotes Danica J. Marrelli and Dr. Jordan Keith already.
OV/SA CEO Pete Haydon said:
‘O=MEGA19 represented a wonderful coming together of the profession and the industry – the most significant ever attempted in Australia. We’re very pleased that everyone enjoyed themselves and that the event worked well. We think O=MEGA is the future of conferencing for our sector, and we’ll be back better than ever in 2021’.
With regards to stand design at OMEGA19, it is fair to say a new benchmark was set by many of the exhibitors. The OMEGA19 Stand Award nominees were judged by an independent panel with the winners confirmed as:
- Maui Jim – Best Stand Large Custom
- LBJ Optical – Best Stand Medium Custom
- Proper Goods – Best Stand Small Pre Built
New to OMEGA19 was the Window Dressing Competition open to all optical retailers with street frontages. The displays were judged on a range of criteria, including: overall impression and visual impact; creativity and innovation; styling communicates a theme and clever use of retailers’ products; effort and business collaboration; and street impact. Entries were judged by Justin Compton and Sue Robinson, Diploma of Visual Merchandising, RMIT University. The winners were confirmed as:
- 1st place: Eye Style Optical, Ulverstone
- 2nd place: A+ Optometry
- 3rd place: Bayside Eyecare
This year’s O=MEGA19 Awards of Excellence shortlisted the very best in fashion, innovation and technology as submitted by O=MEGA exhibitors and judged by an expert independent panel consisting of Professor Fiona Stapleton PhD, UNSW; Steven Daras, Teacher, Optical Dispenser & Course Coordinator TAFE Digital; Richard Banks, Independent Optometrist; and Lyndal Frollano, former Creative Director Harper’s Bazaar Magazine. The winners were confirmed as:
- OPTICAL FRAMES WOMEN: Silhouette – 20 Years TMA Special Edition (Model 1589/75)
- OPTICAL FRAMES MEN: Marchon Eyewear – Lacoste (Paris collection) – L2504PC
- SUNGLASSES: Fritz Distribution – Far Fetched by Fritz Frame
- CHILDREN’S FRAMES: Tomato Glasses – Tomato Glasses TKDC16
- SPORTS EYEWEAR: Bolle – Shifter RX
- LENS DESIGN: Rodenstock – Impression FreeSign 3 DNEye Pro
- LENS COATING: VSP Optics – SunSync Elite
- DISPENSING EQUIPMENT: Rodenstock – DNEye Scanner 2
- CONSULTING ROOM EQUIPMENT: Optimed – Revo FC
- ACCESSORIES: Good Optical Services – The Eye Doctor ‘Sterileyes’ Anti-Bacterial Eye Compress
- PRODUCT ENVIRONMENT (POS, RETAIL): Stepper Australia – ZEISS Eyewear Architekt Kollektion Display KIT
- CONTACT LENSES: VTi/CLC Aust. – NaturalVue (EtafilconA) Multifocal 1 Day
From the OMEGA19 show floor, ODMA CEO Finola Carey said:
‘O=MEGA19 was the catalyst – we’re bringing positivity back to optics. We united the entire industry under one roof. Everyone has left feeling energised and optimistic for the future. Our joint venture has been a resounding success for the benefit of the industry. Thank you to our amazing exhibitors, sponsors and all who visited and supported this event.’
Presented by ODMA and Optometry Victoria South Australia, this is an international event showcasing the best in education, eye care and eye wear where visitors had the chance to network and earn CPD points.
O=MEGA19 is the largest education, eyecare and eyewear event in Australia, replacing the Southern Regional Congress (SRC) and ODMA Fair.
Thank you to platinum sponsor Bausch + Lomb and the two diamond sponsors Alcon and VTi/CLCA.