Visionary speakers, new education formats and tracks join the Conference

NORWALK, CT (March 3, 2015) – International Vision Expo East’s 2015 education curriculum will feature numerous sought-after keynote speakers, two innovative new education formats, and three new education tracks, all developed to present attendees with the eyecare profession’s most forward-thinking educational experience available.

International Vision Expo’s popular Spotlight Series kicks off with More Than Meets the Eye – The Evolution in Eyecare, Retail, and Customer Service presented by Paco Underhill, retail anthropologist, market researcher and author of the books Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping and What Women Want: The Global Marketplace Turns Female Friendly. The Spotlight Series was introduced in 2014, consisting of courses that cover the most up-to-date and need-to-know issues for eyecare professionals. Courses are conducted during expanded morning and lunchtime hours to better accommodate attendees’ busy schedules.

Also offered within the Spotlight Series isThe Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center Presents — Memorable Customer Service, sponsored by Eyefinity and presented by Joseph Quitoni, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. The Ritz-Carlton is widely recognized around the globe as the highest standard in customer service excellence and this program will share The Ritz-Carlton’s method for fulfilling, not only the expressed, but also the unexpressed wishes and needs of customers.

“Our goal is to develop a unique and comprehensive educational program that offers learning opportunities for every member of the eyecare team,” Mark Dunbar, OD, FAAO, Co-Chair, International Vision Expo Conference Advisory Board, said. “We want to be the meeting that everybody in eyecare wants to come to. I believe this year we are another step closer to achieving that goal.”

Recently, wearable technology has grown exponentially and continues to invigorate the eyecare industry and make headlines. To keep up with this growth, the four-hour Wearable Technology track has been added to the Conference and will highlight everything from Google Glass to augmented reality goggles to GPS and Bluetooth enabled frames. This targeted track is dedicated to educating attendees on what wearable technology means for the future, and how to maximize its business potential.

Furthermore, International Vision Expo East has added the Ocular Wellness Program, which offers three hours focused on educating attendees on quality of life and preventive medicine and will present the products and services that enhance a healthy long-term ocular state for patients.

The addition of the Retail track presents a fresh perspective on retailing including everything from growing a brand to insights into the broadening scope of brands and new technologies is shaping the eyecare industry. Retail experts also share their insider marketing tips and techniques to break through the communication clutter and set your business apart.

The Conference now includes the latest education formats including three hours of Hands-on Workshopsas well as 18 hours of crowd sourced learning courses where attendees can utilize new technologies to suggest speaker topics, answer polling questions and steer the conversation. One of the most popular crowd sourced learning courses is sure to be ODs on Facebook: Clinical Tales from the Trenches, presented by Mark Dunbar, OD, FAAO and Alan Glazier, OD, FAAO. During this course, real life interactive case studies will be presented and then discussed by the presenters and audience.

In 2015, a variety of media partners are supporters of education initiatives, including:

20/20 Magazine is the media partner of the Retail track.
Contact Lens Spectrum is the media partner of the Global Contact Lens Forum.
Eyecare Business is the media partner of the Frame Buyer Certificate Program, Visionomics® and The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center session.
Invision is the media partner of the Crowd Sourced Learning sessions.
Vision Care Product News is the media partner of the Spectacle Lens Expert track.
Vision Monday is the media partner of the Wearable Technology track.

For four full days, International Vision Expo East attendees will be able to experience the visionary thinking on which the eyecare industry thrives, through 330 hours of enhanced education across 22 targeted tracks.