EYE FOCUS | NEWS
First
OWA
Canadian
regional
event
a hit
Eighty-five women, including optom-
etrists, opticians, industry suppliers
and representatives of ophthalmol-
ogy practices and buying groups,
registered to attend the sold-out,
first-ever Optical Women’s Associa-
tion Canadian regional event.
The event, held Nov. 14 at Zeiss
Canada headquarters in North York,
Ont., was hosted by Trudi Charest,
co-founder of Marketing4ECPs and
member of the OWA Membership
Committee, and Shelley Logan,
WestGroupe sales manager for On-
tario and Western Canada.
Those who attended the networking
event learned more about the OWA
and its many initiatives.
Charest then led the group through
a lively discussion of Trends and Op-
portunities in Eye Care, which was
overwhelmingly received.
Charest said it’s clear this is a great
time to introduce the OWA to Cana-
dian women as the response has been
tremendous.
26 EYE FOCUS December Digital 2019
She said organizers ran out of room
for the first event and are already
planning more events in the Ontario
region.
“Attendees told us they want to be a
part of an organization that is em-
powering and supporting women in
the industry,” she said.
“One that sets up opportunities to
connect, network and share. This
is exactly what the OWA does and
more. It has helped me build my net-
work and therefore my business as
well as learn from some of the most
powerful women in our industry.”
Founded in 1997 as a non-profit, the
Optical Women’s Association is com-
mitted to supporting and promoting
the professional development of
women involved in all facets of the
optical industry. It is supported and
funded by industry organizations as
well as membership.
If you are interested in learning more
or signing up to be a member, visit
opticalwomen.com.
The following Canadian organiza-
tions sponsored the Ontario event:
Marketing4ECPs; WestGroupe;
Safilo; Labtician; Zeiss; and Optical
Prism, the media sponsor for the
event.
Anyone interested in more infor-
mation can email Trudi Charest at
[email protected].