The organizers of the latest Vision Expo West are satisfied with the results from this year's show. Considering what is happening at other industry shows, the fact that we kept our attendee base (15,000) and the same exhibition area means we were successful, says Tom Loughran, vice president of Reed Exhibitions Group.
Mr. Loughran points out that VEW offers its attendees the largest continuing education program in the industry. In addition to holding special complementary events outside the show, such as the contact lens forum, the show offered 39 various courses and almost 400 hours of training. Aside from the traditional clinical aspects, the 2014 program also gave ECPs an opportunity to acquire critical knowledge on the client experience and ways to increase their revenues, as well as on new technologies that have a direct impact on their practice, such as smart glasses or connected objects.
VEW also introduced some new equipment and frames, celebrities (Randy Jackson, Victor Ortiz), a video in progress (Sight: The Story of Vision) and several new apps for tablets that help take measurements and inform patients about their eye health.
In short, this year's show was a full experience and plans for the next show are already underway. In 2015, it is to be held September 1719 in Las Vegas.
Watch for the November issue of Opt!k Magazine to read our complete coverage of VEW 2014.
