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 seven percent increase in attendance over 2010 figures. A final complete third-party audit of International Vision Expo East will be available in approximately six weeks.

“This year’s 25th anniversary show was incredible,” said Tom Loughran, vice president for Reed Exhibitions. “For three solid days our showfloor was buzzing with the energy and international style that can only be found in New York. It was clear that this was the place to be for those looking to debut or discover the latest trends in eyewear, advances in eyecare technology and best-practices in business.”

“We are extremely pleased with our experience at Vision Expo East this year,” says Victor Melendez, Vice President of Luxottica USA. “The welcoming atmosphere of our new booth drew a steady flow of traffic and the interactive areas for Ray-Ban and Persol attracted sizable crowds. Together, these elements created a wonderful environment for us to network and connect with customers, who responded with very positive feedback. This was a great showing for the year in which we will celebrate our 50th Anniversary!”

According to Peter Friedfeld, Executive Vice President of ClearVision Optical, “Vision Expo is clearly the preeminent event in Vision Care in the market, and it has become the meeting place for all things related to our industry.” He added, “The new layout made it easy for attendees to navigate and spend time with existing vendors and meet with new suppliers. The quality of the attendees at the New York Vision Expo continues to grow and we had excellent meetings with our customers, as well as opening up many new accounts. Friday was a powerful day for all, probably the strongest opening day in many years.”

For some, the show also provided an opportunity to engage in other networking events and activities, including the New York City Half Marathon. “I was thrilled when I found out that the marathon and Vision Expo East were on the same weekend,” said Tara Barchers, an optician with Heritage Family Eyecare. “Being in the industry I understand that there’s more to vision care and eye health than glasses alone. Participating in the marathon gave me the unique opportunity to be a part of something bigger by helping thousands of runners and spectators to make the connection between eye health and overall health - such an incredible experience!” Barchers ran the marathon wearing a custom race t-shirt from Thinkaboutyoureyes.com, a public awareness campaign designed to educate Americans about the importance of vision health and comprehensive eye exams.

This response was echoed by many other exhibitors as well, noted Loughran. “Our on-site feedback and attendance figures confirm that the Vision Expos remain the optical event for the Americas and are quickly gaining steam from International attendees,” he said. “With 565 participating exhibitors, and more than 300 hours of CE, our selection of products and continuing education found at the show is unmatched. This is your one-stop-shop for education, products, trends and solutions.”

Ken Bradley, President, Eschenbach Optik of America, Inc., agreed. “Vision Expo East was a successful show for us this year in terms of our primary meeting objective, which is to obtain leads for our company. Helping to increase traffic was the new Passport Program that drove people to our booth who hadn’t originally intended to do so. In addition, the continuing education program updated ECPs on macular degeneration and low vision (conditions for which our products are designed), thereby making them more likely to search out products to help their patients with these conditions.”

Next year, the conference for International Vision Expo East will be held March 22-25, 2012, and the exhibition will be held March 23-25, 2012, 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.