ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Vision Expo West 2021 concluded on Saturday, September 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. The Show 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 buying experience across the Venetian and Palazzo Hotels. In response to a query from VMAIL, show organizers did not release show attendance figures at presstime. Show organizers expect to have Expo attendance numbers later this week.

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.   

Fran Pennella, vice president, Vision Expo at RX said, “We are delighted that we were able to bring the vision community together for a vibrant, productive and safe Show. Motivated attendees, who were present to make serious business decisions, facilitate transactions and establish dynamic relationships, brought an unparalleled energy to the Show Floor and the Suites. We are very grateful for the support of all attendees, exhibitors, partner associations and organizations who made this Show successful and are already looking forward to bringing the industry together again in 2022.” 

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 Award, 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, provided valuable resources to local Southern Nevada schools through several on-site and off-site activities.
 
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 on the Show floor; 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, hosted its Person of Vision event Thursday evening at TAO in The Venetian. The 2021 award honored Marc Ferrara of Jobson Medical Information with all proceeds from the event supporting the sight-saving programs of Prevent Blindness.
 
“It was fantastic to see Vision Expo West come to fruition in a safe and comfortable manner conducive to doing business, making new connections and learning. We’re thrilled to have delivered a Show that offered impactful experiences on and off the Show floor,” said Mitch Barkley, vice president of Tradeshows and Events at The Vision Council. 
 
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 again from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 and will feature online showrooms from Vision Expo West’s exhibitors and recorded Vision Expo West content.  Vision Expo+ is 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. 
 
Exhibitors and attendees were excited about being back in person on the Show floor. Eric Blanchette, senior vice president of 3O Optical Sales, Safilo North America said, “We were excited about coming to Vision Expo West as we moved to a new location with a bigger booth. The show has been very good for us; after day one, we were over halfway to our entire show target and we are confident we will exceed it. The energy in the booth was amazing with lots of foot traffic and a thriving sales area. This show has been a great opportunity for us to reconnect with our customers and drive home our commitment to excellent customer service and partnership.”
 
“This is the best Show we have ever experienced in the course of attending Vision Expo for the past five years,” said Brad Sultan, CEO and founder of Kids Bright Eyes. “The customers that came to the Show were strictly here to buy and we can’t wait to visit Vision Expo next year,” he said.
 
"The EssilorLuxottica team is completely energized to be back at Vision Expo West this year. For us, being here is a way to show our unwavering commitment to supporting independent eyecare providers and the industry as a whole,” said Fabrizio Uguzzoni, President of EssilorLuxottica Wholesale North America. “We are inspired by the resilience all around us and the meaningful connections we’re making at the show.”
 
Jens Boy, president North America, Zeiss Vision Care said, “We are thrilled to be back in Las Vegas to meet in person with eyecare professionals and our industry colleagues. We had a good Vision Expo East and the engagement and attendance this week at Vision Expo West was much stronger. We feel this is representative of the continued recovery and improvement that we have seen in our industry,” he said.  
 
Vision Expo East 2022 will take place at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City 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.