Vision Expo delivers over 320 hours of education focused on eyecare professionals’ ever-changing landscape and scope. Vision Expo West 2015 will be held this September at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Education: Sept. 16-19, 2015; Exhibition: Sept. 17-19, 2015.)

A new keynote series offers exclusive content focused on the retail strategies to drive customer engagement and loyalty, best practices in customer service – presented by culture authorities from the Ritz-Carlton’s Leadership Center – and a State of the Eye Care Industry Address delivered by Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Senior Vice President of Customer Development, Essilor of America, Inc.; Holly Rush, President, Luxottica Wholesale North America; and Rob Meyering, Vice President, Medical Relations and Operations, Bausch & Lomb.

The series, held during early morning, lunch and evening hours, also includes Alcon’s new Air Optix® Colors Education Salon which offers a FREE, interactive 90-minute certificate program and social engagement for Contact Lens Technicians and other eye care office staff.

Vision Expo will introduce an 11-hour track of Dispensing Essentials for today’s hybrid Optician focused on four key areas: Clinical, Technical, Fashion and Sales. Topics include best practices for communicating value to patients, the marriage of lens technology with fashion, ocular anatomy, troubleshooting Rx complaints and more to enhance opticians’ core competencies as well as cross-train all members of the optical team.

A seven-hour Retail track and 19-hour Practice Management track include tactics to grow business. The retail track addresses how to create unique buying experiences to build satisfaction and loyalty, while courses in the Practice Management demonstrate tactics to fine-tune expertise in business strategy and planning as well as other components critical to the success of an eyecare practice.

Clinical highlights for 2015 focus on anterior segment (35 Hours), glaucoma (16 Hours), a free Global Contact Lens Forum (6 Hours), pharmacology (11 Hours), posterior segment & macular degeneration (30 Hours), systemic disease & neuro (16 Hours) and the new Ocular Surface Disease and Wellness Symposium (3 hours).

The Ocular Surface Disease and Wellness Symposium teaches eyecare professionals how to follow a preventive care approach to the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye diseases, including expert tips on recognizing disease and improving patient care with practical recommendations.

“The education offered by Vision Expo West is unique in the depth, breadth and overall diversity of topics directed to all segments of the eyecare team,” explains Mark Dunbar, OD, FAAO, co-chair of Vision Expo’s conference advisory board. “Vision Expo education continues to grow and evolve alongside the changing interests and demands of the eyecare profession which is increasingly focused on the practical elements of providing comprehensive vision care while running a successful business.”

International Vision Expo West is listed as a Top 250 trade show by Trade Show News Network, a designation not shared by its competitors. According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), there are approximately 13,000 tradeshows held annually in the United States each year. More than 450 exhibiting companies in five exhibit hall pavilions leverage the event for demonstrations, new trends discussions, and product launches.