Silmo Paris and the generation effect
Amélie Morel, President of Silmo Paris, talks about the consistency of the Silo concept and explains in an interview how the slogan "Generation SILMO" came about for the 2023 edition. "The consistency is confirmed from generation to generation, despite the crises that we have also gone through," Amélie Morel explains in the interview.
Am©lie Morel, the new advertising slogan for the 2023 edition of the trade fair is "Generation SILMO". How did this slogan come about?
A.M.: There are several reasons - both rational and emotional - that led us to make this choice. For more than 50 years, Silmo Paris has been the first and oldest trade fair to participate in the life and history of the global optical and eyewear industry. Several generations of men and women have contributed to its success and have witnessed the development of the industry and the trade fair. Some companies have even exhibited at Silmo Paris every year since it was first held in Oyonnax in 1967. Morel is a good example of this, as it has never missed a single edition! The slogan "Generation SILMO" also expresses this continuity: the feeling of passing something on from one generation to the next, through large and small companies alike. This dimension is so important for the dynamism of the industry, whose professionals come from different backgrounds: Young and not-so-young people exchange views in order to move forward together. Over the years, Silmo Paris has naturally become a place where people like to meet.
Does this mean that belonging to an industry is actually real and important?
A.M.: Silmo Paris is based on the idea that communities stand for the same values and have the same - or almost the same - ambitions. You could even describe us as one big family. This is how the concept of the "Silmo family" was born, based on this observation. It is a meeting point for all the initiatives, showrooms and trade fairs that we organize worldwide. Of course, it's not a magical world: there can be tensions, disagreements and objections, but ultimately Silmo Paris manages to pool all its energies to satisfy the entire optics and eyewear sector.
Is the lasting success of the event also a question of maintaining the same structure and the same foundations - generation after generation?
A.M.: Each generation develops attitudes and behaviors that result from the socio-economic environment in which it grew up. But the symbolic concept of "Generation SILMO" is also a way of laying a foundation and demonstrating the strategic continuity of the fair, which continues from edition to edition, with one presidency flowing seamlessly into the next and forming a coherent whole. Silmo Paris is also such a solid institution because the organization is so stable. Every member of the Supervisory Board is fully involved. And the logistics teams are present and attentive throughout the year. This atmosphere and this cohesion are very important to people, and both exhibitors and visitors are attracted by it. The consistency is confirmed from generation to generation, despite the crises we have been through, such as the Covid pandemic. Thanks to its long-term vision and foresight, Silmo Paris has won over every generation. It is much more than just a trade fair, it is and remains a meeting place.
