Opti Opportunity

Once again this year I visited Munich, Germany for Opti, the international trade show for optics and design, a relatively new show on the scene commanding the attention of international brands and buyers. In 2013, my first Opti experience offered a chance to finally put my formerly solely-domestic filter through an international platform transformation. This year, with a season at Silmo behind me, Opti presented the chance to focus in on the intercontinental offerings and share vast visuals and commentary with our social media followers back home, resulting in one of our most active socialEYEzing weekend awakenings to date. It was also a time to sharpen my eye when it comes to reviewing product, fine-tuning and filing away my interpretations, keeping tabs on what's new and what's not. In anticipation of an even farther-reaching 2015, Opti has already released future show dates (January 9-11, 2015), and for me, Mido and Expo are just around the corner this spring. I never know exactly what will meet me on the adventure side of an international flight—new friends, ideas and conversations, but it's always worth taking the opportunity to SEE for myself.

—Breanna Benz

The Nominees Are...

We choose and photograph Eye Nominees once every few months, oftentimes highlighting those with prized, time-tested favorites but this particular shoot centered on each subject's newest apple of their eye. Each photogenic Jobsonite arrived to the shoot eager to show off their shiny, new sun specs. The social media stratosphere couldn't have been happier—liking, commenting and sharing portraits of each of the Eye Nominees. Whether they were personal friends or interested arena players... the eyewear world was watching. The smooth-sailing shoot gave everyone, including our photographer, art director and myself, a reason to smile. The event even warranted a beautiful blow-out hairstyle on our usually corkscrew-haired Gail, one of our number-crunching mavens; a wardrobe change-up for Print Production Coordinator Kate and a sighting of our mailroom manager Mario's rare velvet suit. Stay tuned to Eye Nominate over the next few months for more on who's wearing what around the 20/20 offices. —BB