Young people and start-ups, at Mido 2024 the Belluno eyewear industry looks to the future with the Dolomiti Innovation Valley – 50 participating companies Berton, Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti – Anfao: ‘Pride and innovation

Source: press office Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti

Belluno, 1 February 2024 – At Mido 2024, the Belluno eyewear industry will be looking straight to the future, focusing on young people and start-ups. “We are not only the glorious past of the eyewear industry, but also the present and the future,” is the message of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti, which will be present in Milan with its own stand in the main pavilion where the innovation needs of companies will be collected. “A vision of the future” is the motto chosen by the Association of Industrialists, which will bring the Dolomiti Innovation Valley project and its protagonists, especially young people, to the Lombard capital.

There will be about 50 Belluno eyewear companies present at Mido, the sector’s main world fair, a “patrol”of large, medium and small companies, from Cadore to Basso Feltrino.

It is an important representation, which, once again, will show visitors from all over the world how much the combination of business and territory can make the difference, – says Lorraine Berton, president of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti at her first Mido also in her capacity as president of Anfao, the National Association of Optical Product Manufacturers.

“Pride and innovation,” are the words Berton uses to define Belluno’s presence at the Milan fair, which began in 1970. “Pride because our history cannot be erased and is extraordinary, innovation because we are a Made in Italy excellence that looks to the future and wants – more and more – to involve young people.”

At Mido 2024, the Confindustria stand will therefore host the start-ups that took part in the first Open Innovation programme dedicated to eyewear launched last year – on the occasion of Mido 2023 – and promoted by Anfao, Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti, Ebo (Ente Bilaterale dell’Occhialeria) and Certottica Group, the operational arm of Anfao, with Consorzio Elis, Industrio and Luiss Business School, the latter being the driving force behind Dolomiti Innovation Valley.

We are talking about a great project for innovation that brings together companies of all sizes, research centres and young startuppers,’ explains Erminio Da Vià, president of the Eyewear, Fashion and Sport Section of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti. The objective is to support companies in this delicate phase of transition, both green and digital. These are crucial challenges if we want to maintain the excellence of our products and preserve that District logic that has allowed us to grow alongside the territory,” says Da Vià. “The numbers confirm this: of the approximately 19 thousand Italian workers in the eyewear industry, almost 13 thousand are employed in Belluno companies.

At the Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti stand, during the three days of Mido, there will be a dedicated team that will gather and analyse the needs and problems of companies in the sector, proposing innovative solutions and potential partners with whom to develop co-planning solutions.

We will network in a concrete manner, promoting dialogue between companies and young professionals, – anticipates Da Vià, who is convinced that only the involvement of the new generations can lead to sustainable growth in the sector.

We will do our part, we ask the institutions to support growth policies, incentivise investments and access to credit, crucial issues for the eyewear industry and even more urgent for companies operating in fragile and delicate contexts such as mountainous areas, the appeal of Da Vià himself.

To visit MIDO it is necessary to download the pass that can be obtained by registering at the following link: https://www.mido.com/pass-ingresso-mido 

Translated by Cecilia Flaccavento
Intern at the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso – Belluno|Dolomites