opti 2027: “For us, Next. means bringing the future into business”

With “See. Hear. Next.”, opti is looking at what will move optics and hearing care next: new technologies, new partnerships and new business opportunities. One example of how tangible this claim will become is opti “Smart Tech”. In 2027, the new special area will create a dedicated meeting point for smart eyewear, wearables, hearables and connected technology for the first time. In this interview, opti Director Cathleen Kabashi explains why “Next.” is more than a claim, why the DACH market plays a particular role in this context and how opti “Smart Tech” translates future themes into market-relevant impulses.

Ms Kabashi, with “Next.” opti is setting out an ambitious claim in its See. Hear. Next. campaign. What is behind it?

“Next.” sums up what opti stands for: we do not wait for the future to happen at some point. We bring together the people, technologies and markets that will define what comes next. This is not about the future as an abstract vision, but about tangible opportunities for the industry. Which developments are changing products, services, needs and attitudes? Where are new partnerships emerging? What will become the next business field?

opti makes precisely these questions visible, tangible and, above all, commercially relevant. A key element of this is opti “Smart Tech” , because it shows particularly clearly how new technologies can find their way into optical and hearing-care practice.

You have described opti “Smart Tech” as a key element of “Next.” Why is this new special area such a fitting expression of that claim for you?

opti “Smart Tech” shows very clearly what we mean by “Next.” Technologies such as smart eyewear, wearables, hearables and connected applications are developing dynamically. What matters, however, is how they become concrete solutions and new business opportunities for optics and hearing care. That is exactly why we bring technology providers together with the people who explain innovation, make it tangible and carry it into the market. opti “Smart Tech” is therefore a visible building block of “Next.” – but not the only one.

When people talk about “Next.”, it can quickly sound very international. But opti’s core market is clearly the DACH region. Is there not a lack of international appeal?

On the contrary: it is precisely our DACH core market that makes opti so relevant for this “Next.” claim. The German-speaking region is home to many companies that set international benchmarks in technology and optics – as global market leaders as well as highly specialised innovation partners.
At opti, they meet an exceptionally knowledgeable audience from Germany, Austria and Switzerland: open to technology, highly skilled and close to the market. This density is not a contradiction to internationality, but a strength. Anyone presenting innovations in Munich reaches one of Europe’s most demanding and receptive markets – and sees at a very early stage which technologies, partnerships and business models will become relevant next.

What developments make it necessary, in your view, to think more holistically about future themes right now?

Because so much is moving at the same time. Technology and optics are growing together, optics and hearing care are moving closer together, and products are being extended through digital applications and services. At the same time, markets and professional roles are changing, as are customers’ expectations and needs. Looking at individual developments in isolation is therefore no longer enough. opti shows the bigger picture – but in such a focused way that every practice and every company can derive its next decisions from it.

Where does this “Next.” claim become particularly tangible at opti besides opti “Smart Tech” ?

Wherever previously separate worlds meet in productive ways. opti “Spheare” is continuing to advance the interplay between optics and hearing care. “Tomorrow Vision” brings together the future of the contact lens with exceptional density. And with opti “Fine Eyewear” and the expanded opti “Design Stage”, we are opening up new access points to design, brands and presentation. Together with opti “Smart Tech”, these are not isolated islands. The formats show how broadly the future is being thought about in our industry and how concretely it can be experienced at opti. All of this is driven by the innovative strength of our exhibitors.

What exactly does “Next.” offer exhibitors?

Exhibitors can position their products, solutions and business models at an early stage in the international, predominantly European market – and meet the people who turn them into business: decision-makers, retailers and users, as well as potential technology, product or sales partners. New opportunities emerge particularly at the interfaces. Anyone connecting technology with optics, bringing an application together with a product or opening up new target groups will find the right people to talk to at opti. “Next.” therefore also means, very clearly: next business.

What role do young talent, start-ups and business succession play in this picture of the future?

A central one. You cannot credibly present the future without involving the people who will shape it. That is why we create formats for start-ups, talent, young entrepreneurs and business successors – and why we maintain an ongoing dialogue with the next generation in the industry. This is highly relevant for exhibitors too: anyone who starts conversations today with the skilled professionals, decision-makers and multipliers of tomorrow is building relationships that will count in the future. For us, Next Generation is not a supporting programme, but part of our future strategy.

What should the industry take away from opti when it thinks of “Next.”?

Above all, an appetite for the next step. opti wants to provide orientation, but also to encourage – and, of course, to inspire: enthusiasm for new technologies, for unusual partnerships, for rethinking and further developing business models and, above all, for entering into conversation with the people who matter. Our aim is not only to show the industry as it is today. Together with the industry, we want to make visible what will count next – for products, practices, markets and the people behind them. If a visit to the trade show leads to one concrete next decision, then “Next.” has achieved exactly what we want it to achieve.

And finally, a more personal question, Ms Kabashi: what is it about this industry that inspires you personally – and what drives you to actively help shape its future through opti?

What inspires me is the speed and curiosity with which our industry keeps reinventing itself. New innovations are constantly emerging that not only keep opti up to date, but also bring “Next.” to life. Many of these impulses reach us early and directly through our strong network. That allows me to challenge ideas quickly and count on support when bold decisions are called for. For all the technology involved, this remains an industry for people – for good vision, good hearing and quality of life. Seeing how it shapes the future, and the contribution opti can make to that, is what drives me. And I am curious to see what comes next.

Short profile: Cathleen Kabashi

For more than 25 years, Cathleen Kabashi has helped shape the trade fair world with curiosity, warmth and a strong desire to create. As Director of opti at GHM in Munich, the Leipzig-born trade fair expert is leading the international trade show for optics and design into the future. Her ambition is to further develop opti as a strong networking platform for the optical industry and related sectors. And when she is not in trade fair mode, her eight-year-old son makes sure she keeps moving.