(PRESS RELEASE) Vision Expo West 2021, the trade-only conference and exhibition co-owned by The Vision Council, concluded on Saturday, Sept. 25. The four-day event, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Sept. 22–25 at The Venetian Convention Center & Expo, brought together thousands of members of the industry.
Show Features
Vision Expo West 2021 featured more than 280 exhibiting companies across several distinct neighborhoods and offered cutting-edge continuing education as well as engaging programming. Additionally, The Suites offered attendees access to established luxury fashion houses and the latest exclusive upmarket boutiques in an intimate and unparalleled buying experience across the Venetian and Palazzo Hotels. Presented under the banner of VisionEd, Vision Expo’s education program offered more than 190 hours of education, ranging from the latest business strategies and fashion trends to patient education tactics and cutting-edge innovations. Returning to the Show, OptiCon@Vision Expo offered an unmatched education program and exhibit hall experience for opticians, contact lens practitioners and ophthalmic allied professionals.
New to Vision Expo West, The Seen served as a main stage destination and a hub for collaborative learning as the host venue for the EYE2EYE Series panels, an educational series of interactive panels featuring industry experts in discussion on topics ranging from fashion trend forecasts to tactics for refining patient care, and the Career Zone-Student Lounge, a destination for students to connect with optical companies that are actively recruiting and explore career resources. The Seen also housed the Innovation Stage, the Show Floor destination dedicated to groundbreaking content and state-of-the-art products and services revolutionizing the industry.
The Vision Choice Awards, which recognizes the best new product at Vision Expo West, was awarded to Reichert Technologies for their all-new Tono-Vera Tonometer featuring the patent-pending ActiView Positioning System.
Vision Health Alliance, The Vision Council’s new consumer education initiative, in partnership with EyeCare4Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to providing professional eyecare to low-income, visually- impaired children and underserved families, worked throughout the week to provide valuable resources to local Southern Nevada schools. Together, the two organizations conducted a mobile eyecare clinic at a local, Las Vegas-area elementary school; assembled 500 emergency eyecare kits at Vision Health Alliance’s booth at Vision Expo West; and hosted a panel discussion at The Seen about the importance of early access to routine, comprehensive eye exams as part of a child’s developmental and educational success.
Additionally, Vision Expo West 2021 brought together key industry groups and supporters. Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight, hosted its Person of Vision event in conjunction with the Show. The 2021 award honored Marc Ferrara of Jobson Medical Information with all proceeds from the event supporting the sight-saving programs of Prevent Blindness.
Vision Expo+
In an effort to accommodate members of the community from around the globe, Vision Expo+, a free digital extension of the Vision Expo experience that debuted at Vision Expo East 2021, is being offered from September 27 to October 3 and will feature online showrooms from Vision Expo West’s exhibitors and recorded Vision Expo West content. Vision Expo+ will be delivered through ShopVISION, a new global sourcing platform. All events taking place at The Seen, the main stage destination for collaborative learning, including EYE2EYE Series discussions, are available to view in an on-demand format on the ShopVISION platform.
To gain access to Vision Expo+ offerings, register for ShopVISION here by clicking the “Sign in/Join” button and then “Register Now.” ShopVISION and Vision Expo+ are being offered on a complimentary basis to all eyecare providers, buyers and all Vision Expo West 2021 exhibitors. Registrants who signed up for Vision Expo+ during Vision Expo East 2021 do not need to register again.
Vision Expo East 2022
Vision Expo East will take place at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, New York from March 31–April 3, 2022. The Show’s educational program, together with OptiCon@Vision Expo, will open Thursday, March 31 and the Exhibit Hall will open Friday, April 1. Details on registration will be released in the coming months.