06 Mar 100% Optical sees surge in senior talent, with major increases in optometrists, buyers, and ophthalmologists
This week, over 250 exhibitors and 5,000 brands headed to the UK’s largest optical event at the Excel Centre in London (1-3 March), with organisers of 100% Optical confirming over 11,000 in attendance across the three days.
100% Optical welcomed an increase of senior job functions through the doors, including a 9% rise of optometrists and dispensing opticians, 20% increase of buyers, and 66% increase of senior-level ophthalmologists and consultants for the co-located 100% Ophthalmology event.
The three-day celebration of all things optics with a strong emphasis to ‘focus on the future’ featured an unrivalled line up of exhibitors, exciting industry launches, networking events, a jam-packed educational programme with more than 100 hours of free CPD content, lively catwalk shows as well as dedicated areas for manufacturers, distributors, independents, retailers, lenses, and ophthalmologists.
Another highlight during this year’s show was the coveted Love Eyewear Awards. The following winners were carefully chosen by a dedicated panel of judges and announced during the exhibition on Saturday 1st March at the highly anticipated ceremony:
New Designer 2025: TANAKA eyewear
Women’s Sunglasses Frame of the year: Vanni Eyewear – Embrace1 col A01
Men’s Sunglasses Frame of the year: Hoffman Natural Eyewear – Bloc V1596
Women’s Frame of the Year: SPADA LAURA / GAZUSA – Avantgard Collection/mod Caroline
Men’s Frame of the Year: Mad In Italy – Espresso
Unisex Frame of the Year: VASUMA – CERASTE
Kid’s Frame of the Year: Götti Switzerland – Götti Dimension Next
Eyewear Accessory of the Year: COTI Vision – VITA Ombré
Sustainable Frame of the Year: TANAKA Eyewear – Tortoiseshell
Luxury Eyewear of the Year: Clayton Franklin – CF662
Eyewear Retailer of the Year: Respectacle Co.
Most Engaging Practice Window: Monocle Eye Care
Best Use of Social Media: The Optical Gallery
This year was the first edition organised by CloserStill Media, since its acquisition in October 2024. The addition of 100% Optical strengthens its healthcare portfolio including award-winning events such as Clinical Pharmacy Congress, Diabetes Professional Care, and Dentistry Show, as well as the Jewellery Show – the UK’s premier jewellery trade event of the year.
Celsa Vazquez, Commercial Director, at CloserStill Media, said: “Firstly, a massive congratulations to our 2025 Love Eyewear Award winners. Each year the competition gets fiercer, judging gets tougher and the ceremony gets more exciting.”
“We’d like to extend a special thank you to our valued exhibitors, sponsors, and all of the visitors who made 100% Optical the must-attend event for the industry again. This exhibition is a true celebration of innovation, expertise, and collaboration and this year was no different. We showcased a new layout and reimagined floor plan, encouraged the industry to clock hundreds of hours in CPD and witnessed so many exciting launches including Eyewear by David Beckham and a collection of glasses and sunglasses featuring the beloved Paddington bear.”
“We had the pleasure of witnessing the second edition of 100% Ophthalmology, our esteemed co-located event designed for ophthalmologists and their multidisciplinary teams. This exceptional three-day educational programme offered a dynamic platform for ophthalmologists to expand their knowledge, engage in meaningful networking, and collaborate with optometrists, fostering a spirit of professional growth.”
Orly Simkin, Executive Leadership Coach, Durham, said: “I help optometrists deliver leadership skills and improve business communication to their team and clients. I come here every year – my partner is an optometrist so he comes for the CPD, and I come to see what’s new in optometry and how I can help optometrists develop and deliver that. I like that it’s a ‘one size fits all’ show – everything is under one roof. It’s a great place to come and find out what everyone’s doing.”
Kat Reid, Eyewear Stylist, Fashion4Sight, said: “I’m looking forward to seeing unique pieces of art that is made into eyewear because that is something we specialise in our boutique”
Richard, Sales Manager at Topcon, said: “Economically it’s been a rough time for some practices recently but despite this, sales have been really strong – as strong as last year so far which was unexpected. Saturday footfall has been good – we have a buzzing stand with lots of sales on the floor.”
Jessica and Katie, Co-founders or Chains for Frames, said: “This was our first time exhibiting at 100% Optical and we’ve loved it. After being featured in the catwalk we had a load of people visit our stand, which led to some very positive leads with even new stockist and optician opportunities, which is really great. We’re already booked for next year!”
Samantha, Sales Representative at DITA, said: “With it being our first time exhibiting at this show, we have found the organisation great, the staff always check in on us. We absolutely love the app for logging leads effectively, it is so much more beneficial than a business card. We’ve had some of our loyal existing customers come and see us which is great to see. A great event for networking too, we will be back next year.”
Next year’s 100% Optical dates have been confirmed for 28 February – 2 March 2026 at Excel London.
