International Vision Expo West Attendance on Par with 2011 Event

September 23, 2012

When Reed Exhibitions’ International Vision Expo West recently closed its doors at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, the unaudited tally of eye care professionals attending the event was 12,077, which show management said was on par with last year’s show.

The education program also delivered 350 hours of education and drew 3,868 attendees during the four-day event.

Final, third-party audited numbers will be available in approximately five weeks.

“International Vision Expo West is a healthy, energetic and vibrant event, and the number of loyal and satisfied visitors in attendance at (the) event was a true testament to that,” said Tom Loughran, vice president for Reed Exhibitions.

He added, “We remain committed to providing the entire ophthalmic community with a convenient location to network, hold meetings and source the best in products, education, innovative solutions and business-building tools for the health of their practice and their patients.”

The showfloor was busy, with nearly 475 exhibitors from around the world showing off more than 600 show specials and 5,000 brands, covering all aspects of eyecare, eyewear and accessories.

“We are ecstatic with the outcome of [International] Vision Expo West. Not only did it exceed our expectations, we hit company goals and achieved record breaking results overall,” said Exhibitor Milena Cavicchioli, vice president of marketing for Luxottica North America.

Cavicchioli added, “Following the success of (International Vision Expo East) earlier in the year, we have continued to see a remarkable increase in the demand for our brands and have kept the momentum going ever since.”

Dick Russo, executive vice president for Safilo, echoed the show’s success for his company.

"The show was very productive for us … those attendees who visited our booth were very engaged and anxious to conduct business, which resulted in extremely productive meetings,” Russo said.

Attendees also gave the show, and particularly the education program, high marks.

“It's not just what you learn at Vision Expo, it’s what you do with it when you get home that matters,” said Jessica Rodriguez, office manager for Weslaco Vision Source in Weslaco, Texas.

Next year, the show will be held in rare October dates in Las Vegas, Oct. 2-5, before returning to its typical September timeframe for the following seven years.

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