Word to...Vision Expo

The organisers of the US show explain the reasons for their choices and give us some data on the local optical and eyewear market

Our magazine VEDERE International has exhibited directly and continuously at US optical trade shows since 1977. It is important for us to be personally present, at least at Vision Expo East in New York, both to make our publications known and to try to better understand the optics and eyewear market in the United States.It was therefore a disappointment to learn that Vision Expo East had been moved, obviously due to the Coronavirus epidemic, to Orlando from 2 to 5 June, almost at the same time as the most important world trade fair in the sector, Mido in Milan, which was due to take place from 5 to 7 June.It would thus not have been possible for us and many European companies to exhibit or visit the fair in Orlando.We contacted the Vision Expo organizers to find out the reasons for their choice of dates and logistics.In the meantime, unfortunately, the world situation has taken a further turn for the worse and, as we close this issue of the magazine, it is not possible to travel from Europe to the USA and MIDO announced that next June the event will only take place in its digital version while the “physical” show has been postponed to February 2022.Below is our interview with Fran Pennella, Vice President, Vision Expo, at Reed Exhibitions and Mitch Barkley, Vice President of Trade Shows and Events at The Vision Council.

Fran Pennella

Mitch Barkley

VEDERE

We were very surprised to know that Vision Expo East will be held almost simultaneously with Mido in Milan. Did you have no alternative?

Fran Pennella

The decision to move the show from May 25-28 in New York City to June 2-5 in Orlando, Florida was based on the current restrictions on large gatherings in New York State and the successful track record of previous events held at the Orange County Convention Center.The Orange County Convention Center has the exhibit space, regional collaboration and support from elected officials, tourism partners, hotels, theme parks and local business necessary required for hosting a safe event. Many other trade shows representing different industries have found themselves in a similar situation as we did – needing to change locations to a city that could accommodate them safely – and many of these events also are moving to Orlando this spring and summer. Therefore, we had limited date options and had to select the best possible option.

VEDERE

Was the choice made because you knew in advance that you wouldn’t have exhibitors and visitors from Europe and the rest of the world and that your show would therefore only expect visitors from the USA and neighbouring countries?

Mitch Barkley

With strict limitations on large gatherings still in place in New York, we needed to find a suitable location that would allow us to provide the exceptional Vision Expo experience that the community needs and deserves.Given its track record of successfully hosting more than 50 inperson events between March 2020 and December 2020, we are confident the right decision is to move the show to the Orange County Convention Center as the new 2021 host site in order to give our customers every opportunity to network and share their new products.The health and safety of all attendees was a major part of our decision to move to the Orange County Convention Center.The OCCC has strict health and safety precautions in place, as well as upholding all CDC recommended precautions, including mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing. Additionally, the OCCC is part of a first of its kind collaboration between Orlando Health and Visit Orlando, which provides convention groups with personalized medical planning and support. The OCCC was one of the first convention centers in the nation to receive the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s GBAC STAR™ accreditation, which is designed to help facilities establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention, and is widely recognized as the gold standard of safe and prepared venues. The Orlando International Airport holds the same accreditation.

Orlando - Orange County Convention Center

VEDERE

It is perhaps too early to know what the situation will be in June in the U.S. and the rest of the world due to the pandemic, but we imagine that you are taking some initiatives and that perhaps the next edition of Vision Expo East will have a double identity, both “physical” and virtual. Can you give us some anticipation?

Fran Pennella

Given the realities and restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve adapted quickly over the past year to meet the vision community’s desire to connect and conduct business by offering a comprehensive series of virtual programs. Hosted under the umbrella of Vision Connects, a year-round, industry focused digital platform, Vision Expo has launched several virtual programming series designed for the eyewear and eyecare community to source content, build industry knowledge and facilitate connections. These efforts will continue in 2021. Additionally, The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions are reimagining the Show’s continuing education offerings with the recent launch of VisionEd Direct, a new virtual continuing education platform offering on-demand accredited courses, and plans for a new education area to debut at Vision Expo East 2021. Looking ahead to Vision Expo East 2021, we understand that some members of the community may choose not to participate or will be unable to due to travel restrictions. Therefore, we are developing ways for our buyers and sellers to connect virtually, off the show floor.

Orlando - Orange County Convention Center

VEDERE

Can you give us some data on the current state of the optical and eyewear industry in the U.S. after the first year of the pandemic?

According to The Vision Council’s Q3 VisionWatch Report:

• The vision care market generated $37.46 billion in retail revenues between September 2019 and September 2020, representing a steep decline of 14.2% compared to the previous year.

• The number of consumers making purchases after receiving an eye exam at an independent eyecare provider, also known as the capture rate, has increased by 5% since March 2020 to September 2020.

• About 12.9% of all eyeglass Rx lens and frame unit purchases occurred online during the 12-month ending period September 2020, which equates to 8.57 million pairs of eyeglasses.

• Roughly 8.3 million pairs of plano sunglasses were sold over the internet during the 12-month ending period September 2020, which represents 10.4% of all plano sunglass sold during that period of time.

• After experiencing quarterly declines in frame unit sales earlier this year, frame unit sales increased by 3.5% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the third quarter of 2019. This increase seems to reflect a change in consumer behavior as consumers were able to follow through with purchases that were postponed during the first and second quarter.

According to The Vision Council’s January 2021 Eyecare Provider Insights Survey, which was fielded to the organization’s panel of more than 1,700 eyecare providers during the last week of January and asked respondents to provide insight about how business conditions compare to a typical month, pre-pandemic:

• Patient volume (exam counts) was still depressed in January: 57% of providers report the number of exams as below normal, consistent with the recent trends of November and December.

• Capture rate continues to be strong: 55% of providers report their capture rate is normal or better than a typical January.

• Telehealth adoption is still growing: 17% of providers said their telehealth use increased from last month.

• Respondents show signs of hope for the future: 45% of owners believe business conditions will get better in 3–6 months.

• Overall, practices are still suffering the effects of the pandemic: 60% of providers report revenue is down compared to a typical January and 30% of owners report a reduction in staff from last month.

Orlando - Orange County Convention Center