Dr. Irving Bennett — The Practice Management Legend Speaks! [#R032]

On this edition of ODwire.org Radio, we were incredibly fortunate to have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Irving Bennett.

For those who don’t know him, Dr. Bennett literally wrote the book on practice management in eye care, and is the founder of the Bennett Center for Practice Management at PCO.

With a career that spans eight decades (he started in the mid-1940’s), Dr. Bennett has seen just about everything.

Highlights of our talk include:

  • How he devised & founded Optometric Management
  • How he founded VisionExpo, the largest eyecare show in the world
  • His thoughts on board certification, practitioner oversupply, the opening of new schools, and where he sees the profession heading
  • An amusing (painful?) story of how he passed up an opportunity to be the first to import Varilux lenses to the US!

If you are at all curious about the history of eye care, you won’t want to miss this show.

And if you have any follow-up questions for Dr. Bennett (or just want to reminisce), you can post in this thread.

Learn more at http://curemydisorder.com/links/improve-eyesight-tedmaser-site

Vision Expo East 2019 Reports Increase in Attendance And Buyers

Vision Expo East 2019, held in New York City’s Javits Center, was a great success with the Show experiencing an overall attendance increase of 2.6 percent with a 5 percent rise in registration for optical buyers. Notably, one-third of attendees represented new practices and optical locations providing exhibitors the opportunity to connect with new buyers. Social media was also buzzing as the optical community generated 31 million impressions to date using the hashtag #VisionExpo, an increase of 15 percent over 2018.

At this year’s Show, exhibitors saw increased buying as they previewed new collections, launched new products and showcased their latest innovations to over 14,800 eyecare professionals from across the world. The following are testimonials from exhibitors:

“We were thrilled to use Vision Expo East as the platform to launch our new luxury division, Ultimate Vision USA, which markets Chris Craft, Henry Jullien, McLaren and Plein Les Mirettes,” said Stephen Rappoport, CEO and president of L’Amy America. “Each of the three days, our booth saw increased business activity that allowed us to showcase our new brands and put us into contact with quality buyers for Ultimate Vision USA as well as for our well-known L’Amy America brands. Presenting our latest products at the largest gathering of the vision community is always a wonderful opportunity to establish connections and enhance our partnerships.”

“Vision Expo East was a tremendous success for Safilo this year. It was the perfect stage for us to debut our all-new state-of-the-art booth with a lot of excitement and shows how Safilo is committed to North America in a big way, with significant investment,” said Steve Wright, CCO and president of Safilo North America. “The buzz surrounding our new booth was contagious. We had impressive crowds for our various activations and it was a great space to announce the resigning of the Kate Spade New York license,” said Victoria Hallberg, chief marketing officer of Safilo North America.

Debuting at the Show, Vision Expo’s inaugural EYE2EYE series packed the BRIDGE with attendees during several events including an interview with award-winning artist, Common, moderated by multimedia personality, Lilliana Vasquez, as well as a panel with FUBU founders, Daymond John, Keith Perrin, J. Alexander Martin and Carl Brown. Additionally, the Exhibit Hall saw a surprise appearance by former professional basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal, to represent his eyewear line with Zyloware Eyewear.

“It was great to be at Vision Expo East to see the conversation with Common and Lilliana Vasquez,” said attendee Dr. Tommasina Sideris of Eyes on Litchfield in Litchfield, Conn. “It’s always good to take home something that can be used to improve one’s life and career.”

With its unmatched education courses, engaging speakers and social events, OptiCon @ Vision Expo afforded attendees a variety of learning and networking opportunities. During the first ever National Federation of Opticianry Schools (NFOS) Hoya College Bowl, 300 attendees came together for a rousing competition with the final winner announced as Zachary McDaniel from Roane State Community College.

At this year’s exclusive Boutique Buyer Panel, Edward Beiner (South Miami, Fla.) was announced as the winner of the second annual OPTImum Retail Award. Vision Expo East also celebrated its exhibitors in the Best Booth Contest with Article One winning Most Creative Booth Design and Essilor of America winning Best Brand Activation. In addition, this year’s Vision Choice Award first place winner was Miraflex with second place going to Faniel Eyewear and third to Lunette USA Inc.

“We were excited to see the creativity and passion each exhibitor brought to Vision Expo this year, as well as the drive we saw from attendees in the classroom and on the Show Floor,” said Mitch Barkley, The Vision Council’s vice president of trade shows and meetings. “Vision Expo is thrilled that this year’s Show was a success and that we were able to share it with the many individuals who have the same enthusiasm for the optical industry as we do.”

To further promote the importance of eyecare and eyewear, informative messaging was placed throughout New York City the week of the Show, including a full-page ad in the New York Times highlighting the many eyecare options available to consumers, as well as Think About Your Eyes’ videos showing in multiple locations in Times Square. Additionally, The Vision Council hosted a press event to highlight Vision Expo exhibitors’ products to 86 influencers and members of consumer and trade media.

Vision Expo continues to be a can’t-miss event for the industry. Recently named one of the Fastest 50 by Trade Show Executive, save the date for Vision Expo West 2019, September 18–21 in Las Vegas. Vision Expo East 2020 will take place March 26–29 in New York City.

About Vision Expo
Vision Expo East (Education: March 26–29, 2020; Exhibition: March 27-29, 2020) in New York City and West (Education: September 18–21, 2019; Exhibition: September 19-21, 2019) in Las Vegas are trade-only conferences and exhibitions for eyecare and eyewear presented by co-owners Reed Exhibitions and The Vision Council. Vision Expo is the complete event for ophthalmic professionals, where eyecare meets eyewear, and education, fashion and innovation mingle. In the Vision Expo Exhibit Hall, eyecare providers can discover trends, interact with new technologies and access innovative products and services. The Vision Expo education program is driven by the profession, offering content of the highest quality and relevance to enhance overall patient care. For more information, visit VisionExpo.com and follow Vision Expo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About The Vision Council
Championing better vision for better lives, The Vision Council positions its members for success by promoting growth in the vision care industry through education, advocacy, research, consumer outreach, strategic relationship building and industry forums. By sharing the latest in eyewear trends, advances in technology and advice from eyewear experts, The Vision Council serves as a resource to the public looking to learn more about options in eyeglasses and sunglasses.

Bevel Banner

Learn more at http://curemydisorder.com/links/improve-eyesight-tedmaser-site

TEFdoesVisionExpo – Spectaculars

Vision Expo East will open its doors in just days, and to already give you a little sneak peek on the amazing eyewear you will find there, TEF Magazine created some lifestyle photos with some of their exhibitors.

Sophia is wearing The Reggie by Spectaculars. A beautiful round-shaped, unisex style which was inspired by 1930’s vintage frames. Reggie is available in Black, Blonde Tortoise and Olive Tortoise (shown in the photo).

The Spectaculars collection pays tribute to the iconic American classics, with subtle twists to make them our own. Not only do they offer classic black and tortoise colorations, they also create limited edition runs featuring primary colors with pure silk inlays, decors, stones, and leather skins. They maintain certain aspects of handmade production, staying true to time tested techniques and honoring the original American way of manufacturing.

Spectaculars eyewear is still hand crafted using the finest pin rivet hinges and wire temple cores.

About Spectaculars:

Spectaculars is a collection of vintage-inspired eyewear that is handcrafted in America. The collection honors iconic silhouettes from the 1930’s-1970’s, with subtle, modern updates. Spectaculars’ newest collection will be showcased at Vision Expo East in New York at ClearVision Optical’s booth #1621. The two companies partnered last year and their first collaborative collection will be debuted at the show. If you don’t have an entrance ticket yet, you can register here for free!


Source: TEF Magazine
Shooting: TEFdoesVISIONEXPO
Eyewear: Reggie in Olive Tortoise by Spectaculars
Models: Sophia, optometrist and eyewear blogger at The Monocle Muse

Kala Mid Page

Learn more at http://curemydisorder.com/links/improve-eyesight-tedmaser-site