Dec. 9, 2020 — The Vision Council (TVC) has announced additional details on its 2021 Executive Summit, hosted for the first time on a completely virtual format from Jan. 26-28, 2021.
Presented under the theme of “An OPTImistic View of the Future,” the executive summit, which is available to both members and non-members, will focus on the state of the vision industry, highlight business trends, and share how to confront the evolving challenging of the marketplace via presentations, panels, and networking sessions.
“2020 has been a year of unexpected challenges, with ongoing repercussions still reverberating throughout the optical industry,” says Ashley Mills, CEO of TVC. “With these challenges in mind, we’ve designed the 2021 Executive Summit to equip industry leaders with the concrete strategies they need to successfully navigate the rapidly evolving global economy and to provide intimate opportunities for networking and relationship-building, which we know is more important than ever during this turbulent time.”
Similar to its previous summits, TVC will kick off the Executive Summit with its annual business meeting, set to take place at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The business meeting will be followed by state of the industry updates, presented in a symposium format by four industry experts each focused on a different segment of the industry. The state of the industry symposium speakers and corresponding topics include:
- Frame Manufacturing and Supply Chain – Rebecca Giefer, CEO, Americas at MODO Eyewear and Scott Shapiro, vice president at Europa Eyewear and State Optical Co.
- Retail – James Rosin, co-president at Rosin Eyecare
- Lenses and Lens Processing – Kevin Cross, vice president of Sales at Schneider Optical Machines Inc.
- Telehealth – Bryan Rogoff, O.D., senior product manager, disease management at Zeiss Meditec
An analysis of the results of TVC’s 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion survey will be presented by TVC’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force. The session, titled “Opening Your Eyes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” will share potential initiatives to aid the industry in moving towards a more equitable agenda in the future. Prenters and their corresponding industry segment of-focus include:
- Overview – Tarrence Lackran, director of partnerships & programming at TVC
- Optometry and Academia – Howard Purcell, O.D., president and CEO at New England College of Optometry and Diana Canto-Sims, O.D., co-owner at Buena Vista Optical
- Opticianry and Academia – Phernell Walker, ABOM, director of optometric relations at VSP Ventures
- Suppliers and Manufacturers – Millicent Knight, O.D., senior vice president, customer development group at Essilor of America
- Summary and Q&A – Derrick Artis, O.D., owner at Artis Consulting
In addition, TVC will host three keynote speaker sessions at the 2021 Executive Summit, including:
- Wednesday, Jan. 27 – How to be Together Apart with Priya Parker: Conflict resolution facilitator and author of “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters,” Priya Parker will sit down with Reade Fahs, CEO at National Vision Inc., for a conversation about the art of gathering and the strategies that can be employed by individuals and companies to host highly impactful in-person and virtual meetings.
- Thursday, Jan. 28 – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Emmanuel Acho: Former NFL linebacker, New York Times #3 Bestseller of “Uncomfortable Conversations with A Black Man,” and creator of the popular video series under the same name, Emmanuel Acho will participate in a conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion with three optical industry leaders: Rick Gadd, president at Essilor of America; Thomas Swinnen, president, North America at Johnson & Johnson Vision; and Gary Black, president at Black Optical. Acho will speak with each optical leader about specific issues and opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion at each leader’s organization, followed by a group discussion.
- Thursday, Jan. 28 – Economic Trends with Brian Beaulieu: The event will conclude on Thursday afternoon with a keynote address by economist Brian Beaulieu, who will spotlight economic trends to watch in 2021.
Discounted registration is available for TVC members and faculty, staff, and students currently working or studying at optometry schools. Contact Olivia Krise at okrise@thevisioncouncil.org to request the discount code and register at thevisioncouncil.org/2021-executive-summit.