MUNICH—The 18th Annual Opti Munich will be held from Jan. 15 to 17, 2016 at the Messe Munchen fairground.

In 2016, four halls will feature 550 exhibitors and a new !HOT (Home of Optic Talent) area located in Hall C1 has been introduced. Here, around 60 independent and fashion labels will be presenting their hottest new designs as well as an additional 100 companies in Hall C1 to complete the range of products.

“With the !HOT area we have finally implemented the long-desired design bracket with the Hall C4. Given the reapplication rate of approximately 95 percent of the YES! companies and the annually increasing demand of new labels, we created this new area,” said Bettina Reiter, project manager of Opti.

“In addition to the existing 2009 YES! area in Hall C4, a second, new marketplace will be introduced with the !HOT area. The !HOT and YES! labels are brothers and sisters in spirit. This is due to the fact that all the frames displayed there stand for independence, handcraft, a philosophical mix of form, style and function, as well as a tangible designer to represent the product with his name.”

The Opti boxes will also make another appearance and can be found in the!HOT area. Sixteen newcomers, only startups that were founded after Jan. 1, 2013 were eligible, and will be presenting their definition of good eyewear design. The Opti boxes represent edgy, unusual and fresh creativity. In 2016, more space has been devoted to them, whereas in the past only 12 startups could apply for one of the spots.