VEE SHINES
IN
By Denis Langlois
NYC
The 32nd edition of Vision Expo East was a roaring
success. The trades-only worldwide conference
and exhibition for eyewear and eyecare, which
took place at the Javits Center in New York City,
featured 715 exhibitors - 190 of them new this
year - and many successful new events.
The number of attendees who were buyers,
optometrists, opticians and contact lens tech-
nicians was also up this year, while buying ac-
tivity was also strong.
“Vision Expo continues to attract and educate more
eyecare professionals than any other industry
meeting, and we’re always looking for new ways
to engage the thousands of professionals who
register for our education programming,” said
Mitch Barkley, vice-president of trade shows and
meetings at The Vision Council, which co-owns
VEE with Reed Exhibitions.
“This year we featured new topics like the Ocular
Aesthetics Track, Attract and Retain Customers
series and Supporting the Practice Experience ses-
sions. We’re honored that industry professionals
choose Vision Expo as the source for the continuing
education they need, and will continue to evolve
our programming to meet those needs.”
VEE 2018 saw a 22 per cent increase in opticians
and contact lens technicians, on hand for the new
OptiCon @ Vision Expo programming, which
included a full lineup of Pop Up Talks, celebrity
appearances, and social events in the debut Op-
tiCon @ Vision Expo Hub, as well as a new slate of
education sessions designed for these audiences.
Here is just a snapshot of the excitement at this
year’s VEE.
OPTICAL PRISM | May 2018 32