O-SHOW’s move to Melbourne has been confirmed for August 2026, locking in a new-look Sunday-Monday schedule and marking the return of a major optical trade fair to Victoria.
The boutique event – run by the Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ODMA) – is known for bringing together the best in optical products and services for Australian and New Zealand practices.
The event will also include a new Mastery Program focused on helping practices grow their business.
O-SHOW26 will run on Sunday 16 and Monday 17 August 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Following two “highly successful” Sydney editions in 2022 and 2024 where venues reached full capacity, ODMA said the move to Melbourne marked a welcome return of a major trade fair to Victoria.
The organisation was last involved in a large-scale event in the state in 2023 with O=MEGA.
“The decision now seems obvious, but it took considerable planning and reflection to ensure we did what’s right for the industry,” ODMA CEO Ms Amanda Trotman said.
She said it reflected ODMA’s understanding of the significant investment suppliers and distributors make to participate in live events.
“The 2026 approach continues a deliberate approach – offering a more boutique show in the year that buying groups are often running their major biennial conference, however one that still offers strong exposure and access to a broad audience whilst offering great options for smaller and non-custom build stands,” she said.
The Melbourne venue will offer more space than the prior Hordern Pavilion venue in Sydney, and is familiar to exhibitors and visitors.
Alternating its events between Sydney and Melbourne ensured accessibility for attendees nationwide, while retaining the scale needed to deliver value for all involved, ODMA stated.
“The move to August from May was also made with the industry in mind,” Trotman said.
“Suppliers face increasing cost pressures, from tariffs to freight and wages. Anything we can do to support them helps them support practices who are also navigating rising operational costs. ODMA’s end goal is a strong supplier base as that means a strong independent practice segment, with access to the products and tools they need to grow and diversify.
“The new August timing allows more new-release products to be available, particularly as some launches align with SILMO Paris. It also avoids the busy end-of-financial-year period and gives suppliers the option to allocate budget across two financial years if needed.”
Plus, holding the event on a Sunday and Monday gave practices the flexibility to attend on either a weekend or weekday, she said.
“For those not open seven days, it also gives team members the chance to participate on their day off,” she said.
Discussing the new ODMA Mastery Program, Trotman said this concept was still being finalised – whether it’s held over one or multiple days – however it would be focused on practical sessions.
She said ODMA would take a major optical industry topic and, considering research on the topic, the program would consider what this means for practices in terms of business growth and implementable initiatives.
“The Mastery Series will be all about evidence, application, growth and will run when and where we see the demand for it,” she said.
The 2026 plan is to run a Myopia Mastery Event – from evidence to implementation program, alongside O-SHOW26. This will help practices transform clinical science to business strategy, supporting them to better serve patients now and into the future.
It will also help them discover differentiation their businesses and improve profitability and growth opportunities.
Trotman said ODMA looked forward to announcing more details on this program in the months to come.
“Past O-SHOWs have always had a real buzz on the floor, with people coming together and doing business in a vibrant setting,” ODMA board chair Mr Craig Chick added.
“We’re excited to bring that same energy to Melbourne – and we hope to see whole practice teams getting involved to explore new ways of growing their businesses.”
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