The return of ODMAFair25 has exceeded expectations, with organisers confirming more than 3,500 visits from people working in optical practices across Australia, New Zealand and internationally.
That’s more than double the turnout of the Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ODMA)’s last Sydney event, and even more than the organisation’s last major show, O=MEGA23 in Melbourne.
Onsite scanned visits (from practices, not including exhibitors) were 1,254 on Friday 27 June, 1,292 on Saturday 28 June and 1,001 on Sunday 29 June. This counts delegates each time they visited – for those that returned an extra day – however only counted Super Sunday delegates entry once.
Including exhibitors, media and other industry members, the final headcount reached close to 4,000.
But it was the calibre and diversity of attendees that most impressed ODMA CEO Ms Amanda Trotman, with the three-day event recognised as the flagship trade show for Australia’s independent optical sector.
“We saw many practices sending multiple staff, and we’re thrilled with that. Having the owner, the optometrist, and both practice and dispensing staff all together is extremely valuable,” Trotman said.
“About 50% of attendees were owner optometrists, around 25% practice managers, and 25% dispensing staff.”
A larger venue in Sydney with even better accessibility to the CBD than the Hordern Pavilion used for the boutique O-SHOW24 – and favourable weather – laid the foundation for a successful event. It also benefited from delegates flowing in from Optometry NSW/ACT’s Super Sunday and the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry conference.
“Some exhibitors came to strengthen ties with existing clients, while others wrote significant business. It’s always a good sign when you see frame companies with cases scattered across the floor,” Trotman said.
“Many exhibitors did a fantastic job pre-booking appointments, so by the time visitors stepped onto the booth, they were already well-versed in the products. That meant discussions were far more advanced and fruitful.
“People have enjoyed being on the edge of Darling Harbour. They’ve had a wealth of restaurants and entertainment to choose from, a lot of the suppliers and practice owners have done add-on activities with their staff, and many were at the Safilo-CR Labs function at the Pump House, which all made for a fantastic atmosphere.”
ODMAFair25 also served as a launchpad for new products, networking, and upskilling in dispensing, practice management and business ownership through its education program.
Trade floor highlights included EssilorLuxottica’s Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses and the Stepper Opti AI booth featuring new virtual reality to help prescribe lenses.
“It’s also been a year of strong collaborations on the trade floor between frame and lens companies,” Trotman noted.
“We saw De Rigo alongside Rodenstock, and CR Labs next to Safilo to drive interest in their Full Circle ‘complete pair’ initiative.
“The Industry Pavilion and Business Services Pavilion were also well received, and we’ll keep evolving these as they’re so important for the sector.”
The most-attended education sessions were: Establishing your practice point-of-difference with optometrist Ms Heidi Hunter, 21st century tools for the optical dispenser by Mr Steve Daras, Optimising inventory with ProVision, How to compete with the corporates panel discussion moderated by Emma Gillies, Marketing to Gen Z in 2025 with Ms Allison Abdullah and Mr Adam Spencer’s talk on the patient journey and the utilisation of technology in dispensing.
The Optical Dispensers Australia Frames Repair Workshop was sold out. Plus, the inaugural Women in Optics Breakfast and keynote speaker Mr Adam Spencer’s other talk on how technology is reshaping business also drew capacity crowds.
“For those exploring AI, Adam’s opening keynote gave a great high-level view before he drilled down into what digital transformation and integration means for our industry in his second session,” Trotman said.
“We had around 100 people at his breakfast and about 60 at his follow-up talk. Attendees would have come away with solid starting points or new areas to explore as AI discussions continue.”
Trotman was also buoyed by the energy around this year’s awards, which attracted a large number of nominations and more than 2,100 votes from across the industry (see the winners here).
“People said they’d never seen an awards with so many watching – there was a buzz and lots of cheering, which was heartening,” she said.
“I had suppliers like Kristy Gierisch from Eyes Right Optical, who won joint Sales Representative of the Year, tell me how thrilled they were. Everyone was excited for her – many eyewear suppliers voted for her simply because she’s such an amazing person. It really shows the camaraderie in this room and a willingness to give praise where it’s due.”
Looking ahead, ODMA’s next show will be O-SHOW26, set for the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Sunday 16 to Monday 17 August 2026.
“We’ll be back in the convention centre, so it’ll be a larger O-SHOW than what we’ve been able to hold in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion. We look forward to seeing everyone there,” Trotman said.
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