Long anticipated—with trepidation and enthusiasm—Mido’s
new venue at Rho-Pero made its debut at Mido 2007 in early
May. The trepidation was in large part because of its distance
from the center of Milan (easily reachable in 45 minutes by
subway) and its enormous size. True there was a subway
strike the first day of the show and
torrential rains. And the size is ginormous—
spread over seven pavilions. In
fact, size was the first comment retailers
and exhibitors made when discussing the
show. But size also has its advantages.
Aisles were wide, bright and airy; booths
were spacious. But to me what stood
out more than the size was the
extravaganza of color. Exhibitor after
exhibitor rose to the new location
with spectacular, colorful booths,
reflecting a major trend in the eyewear
itself—color, color, color.
How do attendees and exhibitors feel
about the new location? The response
was noncommittal. As one attendee
astutely commented, “It’s the first year
in a new location. We have to give the
show a chance to develop its own distinctive
personality.”
These words echoed Cirillo Marcolin,
president of Mido 2007, in his Mido
welcome statement to the press. “The
new Mido is a project that has
arrived at its new destination, but
it is also a point of departure, the
turning point for a show that had
to reinvent itself in order to rise
to the challenges imposed by the
21st century.” From what I saw,
the new Mido is well on its
way to meeting the challenges.
—Gloria Nicola
June 2007
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