Saeed Emam representing Magrabi Opticals joined in as the prestigious jury member to nominate the top products for the Vision-X VP Awards 2015. VisionPlus in conversation with Saeed Emam
VisionPlus (VP) : What are your expectations from Vision-X VP Awards this year?
Saeed Emam (SE) : I think Vision-X VP have come out stronger from its first edition. We got to see a variety of new products, the spectacles and eyewears were spectacular; and as a Jury, I was pretty impressed by the brands and their product entries. I will also admit that the Jury Meet was better organised this year, Basically, it was a clean flow of the entire process from judging to nominating for the awards.
VP : What is your opinion about the quality of products this year?
SE : Great! The array of international brands that we saw had such superior quality and it was a treat to review each of the entries. One must say that the amount of growth in this sector is huge and prominently advancing with technology playing at the forefront and the designs backing it up for the overall look and feel of an eyewear.
VP : Which is your favourite category?
SE : I really liked the Sports Eyewear category that came in, when we say sports eyewear, normally we think the options are quite limited but the participations just show how eyewear is taking prominence in each sector that too not just as an add-on but in centre stage as well. Of course, among others I also liked the Luxury categories that definitely took a notch higher on the quality of the awards ceremony.
VP : In your opinion, how does the industry benefit from the Vision-X VP Awards initiative?
SE : It gives you a lot of knowledge of what is going in and around the other regions about our industry. And as for internal retailers, we get to review the best products in market, that obviously is a plus point!
VP: What is your opinion about the impact of online retailing on the optical trade community?
SE : I think it’s very important that we proceed towards the online medium as you cannot deny that it is the future. Especially for sunglasses and contact lenses, I see it’s growing quite well, one can notice a development and a partial inclination towards online retailing. But when it concerns prescription and optical frames, I think it’s not promising, at least as of now.
