VisionPlus Awards: The Thrill Picks Up Pace
The top five optical retailers of Dubai have done their bit, the jury meet has concluded and the nominees of the coveted VisionPlus Awards are out. Read on to find out more
One of the most eagerly awaited events of the optical fraternity is all set to host its next edition in Dubai. Getting nominated and winning a VP Award is a reflection of the love and validation by the Arabian optical fraternity. And this is why optical brands from across the globe take part in this prestigious event year after year — making VP Awards the most celebrated programme in the MENA region’s optical business.
After the thunderous success of the VisionPlus Awards in India and Egypt, the forum is all set to celebrate the excellence in eyewear in Dubai this year. This year too, the prestigious awards platform received entries from eyewear and optical brands across the globe. Choosing the nominees was quite a challenging task - after all the entries came in from the creme de la creme of the industry. And hats off to the jury to pull off this challenge successfully.
The Jury comprised owners and senior managers of five leading retail chains of the region. Mr. Saleh Al Shawa from Al Jaber Opticals; Mr. Mathews Jacob and Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed from Yateem Opticals; Mr. Abdel Halim Yousef and Mr. Sharif Shaker from Eye Fashion; Mr. Yasser Qassas and Mr.Khaled Mahmoud from Magrabi Opticals; and Mr. Neeraj Dabral and Mr.Shigil Nair from Aster Opticals got together last month at Conrad Hotel Dubai for the Jury Meet hosted by VisionPlus, to pick their favourite products in the 17 different categories.
The jury has done their bit. It is now up to the optician’s to rate their favourite brands and optical products.The list of nominees is out now and the voting has begun, putting the ball in the court of the opticians in MENA region to vote before Oct 15, 2021.
The best of the best will be recognised and awarded - a recognition that every brand looks forward to! The suspense continues to build as the votes pour in. Winning the award is a huge recognition, but being nominated is also an equally big thing. The celebrations have already begun for the nominees. And it is only a matter of time before the winners are announced. The voting has been made available online and offline making it absolutely easy for everyone to participate and have their voice heard.
The India Connection
The history of VP Awards is connected very much to India as the first VP Awards was held in Mumbai in 2014 and it was an event that saw the launching of the Coffee Table Book - Visionaries. It was an evening that saw the whole industry come together to celebrate the the past, present and future of the industry. Here are some images of the event that might get some of you nostalgic.
As a continuation of that legacy, VP Awards has tried to get more and more countries together and in 2017, the awards were held for the first time in Cairo, Egypt.
And this October, VP Expo will provide you the opportunity to witness India along with other countries of the Middle East, North Africa and Asia come together to celebrate the achievement of the optical industry with VP Awards.
The current session of VP Awards saw entries from all over the world in 6 Segments ie Sunglasses, Spectacles, Functional Eyewear,Ophtalmic Lens, Contact Lens and finally Instruments & Equipment.
Each segment had multiple categories which added up the total number of categories to 17.
One additional category gets added at the end which is called the Jury Award which is based solely on what the jury liked best in terms of innovation, utility and design. It’s one of the most coveted awards and every participant aims to win it.
Listed below are the Jury Awards Winners from the VP Awards Events held in the past few years
Winner 2014
Winner 2015
Winner 2016
Winner 2017
Winner 2019
Winner 2020
The VisionPlus Awards programme — a starry night that will recognise the best of eyewear brands and optical products across categories — is a bonafide celebration of eyewear. Winners will be felicitated as part of the awards programme hosted during the VisionPlus EXPO 2021 in Dubai. VisionPlus Awards will be a grand celebrationloaded with fun and entertainment. It is one of the most eagerly awaited programme's of the opticalindustry, something that no one would want to miss!
