SAN DIEGO—Against the dramatic backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and the legendary Hotel Del Coronado, nearly 400 executives from all sectors of the U.S. optical industry converged here for networking, division meetings and a diverse program of speakers addressing how to turn ideas into competitive reality for their companies.

The “Idea to Implementation” program theme encompassed such speakers as artist Erik Wahl, whose compelling videos and on-the-spot artistry underscored the value of creativity and taking a risk and “Shark Tank’s” Daymond John who shared his humble beginnings and rise as the founder of Fubu, and the elements of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The group also heard from media specialist Frances Cole Jones, blogger and author of “How to Wow” who shared a CEO Communication Playbook, while Brian Beaulieu, CEO of ITR Economics, provided his popular big-picture economy forecasts. A special session on “Curiosity” featured perspectives from National Vision’s Reade Fahs, LensCrafters’ founder E. Dean Butler, VSP Global’s Don Oakley and i2C Ventures’ David Chute.

The Emerging Leaders group of young leaders met with mentors while The Vision Council also announced the establishment of a new Retail division.