How An Awards Show Can Help The Industry Come Together!
Having been the most celebrated event for the optical industry, the ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS this year is on its way back again. The pandemic may have delayed things a bit but the show-must-go-on spirit is all prevailing to make its 20/21 edition a better show than the earlier ones. Here’s calling the whole optical industry to come together on board and contribute in its success.
The fifth edition of ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS sponsored by ZEISS India is scheduled to be announced in the third week of March 2021.
FourPlus, the organising body of this event is putting all its effort to make this year’s event even more interesting by conducting it on a virtual platform for the first time and promises to make it much bigger than the earlier editions. As the all prevailing positive dictum goes, ‘The Show Must Go On’ and go on without compromise on any of its values. FourPlus is working for it and inviting the optician community of the country to come forward and participate in its success.
ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS has already established its importance and credibility to the optical industry with its earlier editions. The enthusiasm, motivation and keenness of winners as well as nominees in the past editions has been heartening. And it is even more visible by their repeat participation in the current event. More entries from new participants have also started coming in from across the country which is expected to add more value to the show. The ultimate purpose and result of the ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS is to give optical business a better image and more credibility in the minds of eyewear products buyers. This aspect is something the whole optical industry needs to take note of. Any initiative that helps the optician community needs tangible support from other stakeholders in the business. This includes the brand owners and distributors of eyewear, lenses and equipments and other related products.
The industry cannot ignore the fact that success of opticians is success for it as a whole. FourPlus is indebted to ZEISS India for its partnering with it and showing its support to the optical industry by being the title sponsor for the event over the years.
To bring in more brand owners and distributors to support the opticians in this initiative we are in the process of devising ways for rewarding participants in different ways. This includes additional gifts in the form of products to the winners and nominees of the awards.
Other than the obvious benefits that most people see like consumer engagement, options for opticians to highlight their achievements, a viable platform for brands to reach out to opticians and also end consumers, this event has much greater value and importance to the industry.
In the current scenario where international travel and physical interactions are getting more and more scarce, newer formats of communication and events will evolve as new media to communicate and collaborate. If someone were to tell you a year ago that opticians across India would be using Zoom and other webinar tools, you would have probably found it way ahead of our times. But
not anymore.
People and technology have begun to evolve and things are changing very rapidly. Similarly, events and formats of events will evolve too. We are not sure if the global expositions that were a fixed format for the optical business to network and transact will stay the same or evolve to a completely newer format.
The ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS has always been an online event for the voting and only culminating into a physical event for the presentation of the awards. But this year the event might evolve to a digital format and maybe it would have a much larger audience and allow for much more networking options.
It’s a challenging time for the whole business community and more so for individuals and smaller groups in the business. To take the challenge and win, it’s time for everyone to think ‘out of the box’ and evolve. And, the evolution process has to be proactive too. It’s therefore the need of the hour for the whole industry to come together on a common platform and help the industry as a whole. Let's evolve together. Create a newer format in the new normal to enter the new phase of our industry.
So here’s an invitation to all the brand owners and distributors to come forward and connect with ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS to encourage and support your buyers and thereby add more value to it too.