Vision Council, Reed cancel Vision Expo West
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The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions announced the decision to cancel the Vision Expo West 2020 meeting, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas Sept. 23 to 26.
The announcement follows the decision in February to consolidate the canceled Vision Expo East meeting with the Las Vegas meeting.
“While certainly disappointing, the decision to cancel Vision Expo West 2020 is prudent and necessary following the announcement of the extension of phase 2 in Las Vegas into the end of July,” Fran Pennella, event vice president of Vision Expo at Reed Exhibitions, said in a press release. “Without having visibility on when the state of Nevada will be ready to roll into future phases or what the future phases will allow for, coupled with the unfortunate spiking of COVID-19 cases in the region, we know it is in the best interest of everyone in the vision community to not move forward with the show.”
According to the release, Reed Exhibitions’ Vision Expo team and Vision Council made the decision to cancel following the announcement from Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak on June 26 that Nevada, “will remain in phase 2 of reopening plans through the end of July due to current trends of the coronavirus infection.”
“We pride ourselves on being the industry’s ultimate gathering place and while we recognize and appreciate how important the show is to the community, we believe this is ultimately the right decision for our customers,” Mitch Barkley, vice president of trade shows and meetings at The Vision Council, said in the release. “At the same time, we understand the vision community’s desperate need and desire to get back to business. To meet this urgent need, we are rolling out a comprehensive series of virtual offerings to bring the optical community together in between our physical events.”
The offerings will include the Virtual Connections program, which links exhibitors with attendees; the Virtual EYE2EYE series, a schedule of virtual panels and interactive conversations inspired by Vision Expo’s EYE2EYE Educational Series; and the soon-to-be launched Virtual Vision Series.
Additionally, Vision Expo will be launching a “365-digital platform” dedicated to bringing the eye care community together. The platform will include continuing education, direct appointment setting, virtual product showcases, and service and product sourcing.