International Vision Expo East Buzzes with Activity
Preliminary unaudited attendance figures for International Vision Expo East, held this past weekend at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, show a four percent increase in attendance from 2009. A final complete third-party audit of International Vision Expo East will be available approximately six weeks after the show.
“This year’s show was truly a memorable one,” said Tom Loughran, vice president for Reed Exhibitions. “The excitement of the show, with its fashion appeal and celebrity appearances, spilled over into evening activities like networking events, Broadway shows, shopping and more.” He added, “Being in the heart of New York City makes it’s easy for guests to get around and to take advantage of all the city has to offer. And we couldn’t have asked for better weather to celebrate the optical industry in New York City.”
New this year at the show, live coverage was posted to the International Vision Expo YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/intlvisionexpo) for eye care professionals unable to make it to the show or the events surrounding it. The videos highlight the vibrant atmosphere at the show and the positive attitude of both attendees and exhibitors.
“The show keeps getting better year after year with increased opportunities to network with people from different facets of the industry,” said Alan Berman, OD of Ridgefield Family Eye Care. “The vendor participation is fantastic and many vendors were looking to work with attendees. This year we purchased an edger from Santinelli to help expand our practice.”
According to Tom Castiglione, CEO of Morel Eyewear, “It seemed that New York caught up to Las Vegas this year. Our increased booth size and award winning new product release yielded our best show ever at Vision Expo East with increases over 35 percent from last year in New York.” Morel Eyewear’s LIGHTEC Carbon submission to the International Vision Expo East New Product Showcase was awarded the Vision Choice Award, which is voted on by attendees as the best new product in the showcase.
Stephen Rappoport, president for L’Amy America added, “We were very pleased with the overall response to our new collections and brands and we were delighted to have had our best show eve. The traffic was strong and our accounts were buying.”
This sentiment was felt by many other exhibitors as well, noted Loughran. “Our on-site feedback and attendance figures verified that International Vision Expo East is the optical event for the Americas,” he said. “Traveling to the show is easy and the selection of products and continuing education found at the show is unmatched.”
Next year, the conference for International Vision Expo East will be held March 17-20, 2011, and the exhibition will be held March 18-20, 2011, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. International Vision Expo East has show dates confirmed with the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center through 2015 and will continue to hold the event each year in the March/April timeframe.
