ODMA’s Member Year in Review Bulletin 2025

Dear ODMA Member,

Whilst another year has flown by too quickly for my liking, I am pleased to present ODMA members with this 2025 ODMA year in review bulletin. This provides a chance to reflect and the opportunity to update members as to where the ODMA team has focused their efforts and funding this past twelve months.

Thanks to you all for your ongoing membership support. Thanks to all those that advertise and exhibit with us, funding that enable for the provision of ODMA’s services to manufacturers and distributors. Thanks to those that engaged in the awards program and AGM voting and who take the time to provide myself feedback and input. Thanks to the volunteer Board of Directors and those that volunteer time on Standards committees. Of course, should you wish to have further involvement with ODMA and our projects, then we have various opportunities through sub-committees, and we welcome your participation.

ODMA could not support the industry without your support, so again, many thanks.

All the best for a fun, healthy and prosperous 2026.

Kind Regards

2025 ODMA Highlights

The ODMA Awards

The 2025 ODMA Awards program saw several awards categories offered, celebrating both supplier and practice success, with industry voting for industry. This year there was record engagement with 2,170 votes placed and real joy and celebration evident at the live awards ceremony.

ODMA Fair

ODMA’s major event delivered on our promise to bring suppliers the largest practice audience for an optical event in Australia. ODMAFair25 was a professionally presented event with above target attendee numbers visiting the event in Darling Harbour, all with conducting business on their minds. Attracting high attendance in what are tougher market conditions than in years gone by, is something ODMA is very proud of.

9,000 sq m of products and services from 81 exhibiting organisations under one roof. 2,692 unique visitors with total industry visits to the show including trade and revisits close to 4,000. Attracting optometrists as well as owners, managers and dispensing team members makes for a strong event and with 40% of visitors from outside NSW, we proved that ODMA events are truly national offerings.

Supporting the main trade fair, was a Knowledge Centre, practical education streams, networking events, an opening breakfast keynote, awards, prize draws and product announcements. ODMA reached out to OA NSW/ACT and ACBO to ensure those events could be conducted alongside ODMAFair as well inviting ODA to run a Frames Repair Workshop.

EYETALK New Initiatives

This has been a very busy and productive year for the Eyetalk side of ODMA’s business, with a focus on bringing new tools to boost supplier sales to practices, new systems and resources for our independent practice subscribers as well as processes that will reduce administrative tasks for the Eyetalk team, allowing further time to be spent on growth activities.

In addition to our communications to thousands of industry members via our monthly e-talk bulletin, delivery of our quarterly printed Reference Guides, the Eyetalk digital file compilation, supporting our subscriber base, liaising with advertisers, developing content, producing the annual Equipment+ and Progressive Lens Guides and updating the Eyetalk websites, 2025 saw the following accomplishments delivered –

Built and Launched a New Subscription Platform
Onboarded 75% of Eyetalk’s subscribers to the new platform
Built a third subscription Tier - The Resource Centre
Built, launched and loaded LocalEyez – a consumer facing Independent Practice Finder
Advanced the LookBook Website and Social Media pages, adding new features and produced an extra issue of LookBook
Refreshed ODMA & Eyetalk Social Media Channels for a new look and feel
Published recalibrated Eyetalk SRPs

eyetalk.com.au

Representing Members Interests – TGA, Standards, Tariffs

ODMA continues to stay abreast of matters relating to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Standards and ensures there is representation on relevant committees. A big thanks to ODMA’s current Standards Representatives; George Webster, Simon Pavy and Amy Hoole.

The CEO continues to attend TGA RegTech meetings, sharing relevant updates with members and makes available TGA meeting minutes.

Standards representatives attend Standards Australia meetings and provide input as required to projects, including areas such as aligning Australian Standards more closely with international ones if beneficial.

ODMA has kept up the fight to reinstate tariff concessions through further letters to Government and writing to local MPs. ODMA also recently investigated if an application to re-apply for the concession order was viable and is currently managing submissions to Government via nuisance tariff avenues. Full details can be read in the members section of the ODMA website here. This is where ODMA places all major news bulletins.

Fostering Special Interest Groups to Champion Independent Practices

2025 saw ODMA hold its first Women in Optics event, an initiative to support the industry’s current and emerging leaders and those that champion them.

The aim is to assist these inspirational leaders and practice owners in our optical community to thrive and grow through events and networking and to encourage others to do the same. We know that there is a greater percentage of female optometrists and that they can often shoulder a greater juggle of career maintenance, especially those with families. I am proud to announce that the content we will deliver for peers to workshop in 2026 are topics they have identified themselves as being key.

Member Savings

ODMA continues to work to re-engage with freight companies. In 2025 ODMA also offered potential savings for members and subscribers in the areas of insurance and energy. More details can be found here.

Good Governance

This year ODMA:

Held a Directors election as part of its 2025 AGM where approximately 80% of the membership voted for those they want to represent them. ODMA Board Directors will serve from Nov 2025 to 2027 and their details can be found here
Introduced a new modern Constitution to replace the outdated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Produced important resources in a Director’s Handbook and a Directors Induction Kit
Moved out of unrequired premises and reduced office costs
Produced a forward 3 year strategic plan
A solid FY25 financial result was obtained in a year that saw ODMA’s first full year with it’s new organisational model of utilising a more scalable and skill specific approach for it’s human resources needs. A small profit has been achieved and ODMA has still achieved strategic investments for future benefit and kept cash reserves in place.
Connecting with Members
ODMA currently has 53 members and I see as many face to face as I can during the year as I always learn something new in each visit.

Facilitating Industry Networks

ODMA hosted two member lunches for the first time in 2025, one in Melbourne early in the year and one in Sydney at the end of the year. A great opportunity for suppliers to catch up with partners and peers.

Supporting the Greater Optical Industry

ODMA represents the supplier sector at important industry events including vision charity live events, by donating and presenting prizes to high achieving University graduates, attending events where Government representatives are in attendance and participating in University Visiting Committee meetings. ODMA is a member of Vision 20/20. ODMA Eyetalk continues to support students at various educational facilities with free publications including the Reference Guide and the Basic Lens Dispensing Guide.

ODMA also continues to offer scholarships in Optical Dispensing to those employed in independent practice and to staff of ODMA members who undertake the Certificate IV in optical dispensing.

2026 In the Making

We are already busy organising your next great optical event, O-SHOW26 that will be held in Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre in August, a new time for the event to work in with higher levels of new release products.

We are working to improve Eyetalk’s digital data offering and its frequency by working closely with the PMS systems.

Our new Board Directors are being welcomed in and brought up to speed ready for upcoming board and strategic planning meetings.

Plus, of course, we are busy finalising our Industry Research Report for delivery to members in the early months of the 2026 calendar year. A substantial change has been made to the reports format, and an increased financial investment has been made by ODMA to include more insights from both a practice and consumer perspective.