VIRTUAL REALITY
Buckle up Opticians…. excitement is
on the horizon! VIRTUAL REALITY
is the theme of this year’s Vision
Canada Trade Show Exhibition. The
OAC has partnered with a virtual
reality host to astound Opticians with
this emerging technology.
We have challenged our
industry to demonstrate
how VIRTUAL REALITY
will be integrated into the
delivery of Vision Care.
Exhibitors have promised
to bring their own unique
technology for hands on
demonstrations to Opticians
and Optical Program
students. VR content will
range from demonstrating
progressive lens technology,
polarization and comparing
lens treatments, to fully
immersive medical related
tasks and interactive games from
cutting edge VR agencies. Seeing the
world through VR for the first time and
feeling new vision, new places and
control over your virtual environment
is a WOW experience for everyone!
The Vision Canada 2016 event will be
held November 5th and 6th at the
Toronto Marriott Hotel and wait, there’s
more….way more! The Opticians Association of Canada has a mandate to
promote Opticians and their value to
eye care consumers. We have always
prided ourselves on our dedication to
this goal. So accordingly, this year....
on the Sunday .... for the first time
EVER IN THE INDUSTRY … we will
be opening the Trade Show Exhibit to
the Public! Vision Care Consumers
will be encouraged to come Sunday to
see the latest technology available in
lenses, contact lenses, sun wear, plus
the latest styles in frames.
Assisted vision will be an ancillary
theme of the educational portion of
Vision Canada 2016, so we can expect to
see live demonstrations of the latest
and newest devices designed to bring
visual solutions to those in need.
What does this mean to Opticians in
terms of opportunity and promotion?
We will have the OAC booth filled with
Opticians to answer questions from
the public, as well, we hope that
Opticians reach out to their business
contacts with frame companies, lens
companies and contact lens companies
to either be actively involved in educating the public in their booth on the
Sunday, or available for council if
required or desired.
Keep in mind though that the public
will not be able to purchase any product
at the show – it is for education/
information purposes only. That
being said, there is nothing that
prevents an Optician from encouraging
a consumer to come visit them in their
dispensary – after all we have been
promoting “Ask for a Licensed Optician”
for many years. Opticians are encouraged
to bring a guest to the
trade show and promote the show to their
clientele ...entry to the
trade show portion is
FREE, of course. Bring
your spouse, son or
daughter, bring a
friend, anyone you
want!
The OAC has
partnered with a marketing company and
other associations to
advertise the event.
This is a new concept and we are very
excited! The OAC is all about the
changing reality and searching for new
opportunities and growth. This new
adventure will prove to bevery exciting.
- The Saturday portion of Vision
Canada 2016 will remain for Opticians
only. So for those independent owners
who prefer to do their buying at Vision
Canada, it is business as usual.
- Professional Learning will be offered
on both Saturday and Sunday.
Check out www.vision-canada.ca for
more details about the event and how
you can register. Space may be limited
so call 1-866-377-3636 and join for this
exciting twist to Vision Canada 2016!
Optical Prism | October 2016 13