Visionary Las Vegas

Welcome Back to Vision Expo West.

Las Vegas welcomes International Vision Expo West back into the fold Sept. 14-17 at the Venetian Expo and Convention Center. This year’s show is a welcome redux as the meeting place for eyecare industry professionals—practitioners, buyers, designers, vendors, and more.

Although more than 22,000 conventions are held in the Entertainment Capital of the World each year, Vision Expo is the one that’s been delivering the latest in eyewear fashion, eyecare innovation, continuing education, and visionary networking experiences since 1988.

Vision Expo’s CE offerings and OptiCon@Vision Expo go live Wednesday, Sept. 14, and the exhibit hall will open Thursday, Sept. 15.

Here, EB sets you up for a successful exploration of all that Vision Expo West—and Las Vegas—has to offer.

Fresh Curriculum.

The organizers of Vision Expo have announced a new educational planning committee and OptiCon Advisory Board, resulting in a new and revamped education program to debut at Vision Expo West.

“The new education planning committee for Vision Expo has…developed an educational curriculum to help expand your practice offerings in areas such as aesthetics, lasers, and advanced therapies, as well as myopia control and scleral lenses,” says Mark Dunbar, O.D., co-chair of the new educational planning committee alongside Marc Bloomenstein, O.D.

Vision Expo West hosts more than 320 hours of accredited education offerings.

Here, we share a few picks for each day from the robust CE program.

Learn more about Vision Expo West’s CE opportunities at west.visionexpo.com/en-us/seminars.html .

CE PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Events + Presentations

From a morning on the links to enjoying a live DJ with colleagues on the Strip, Vision Expo West offers a wide variety of events for attendees. Take a tour through highlights here. For more, visit west.visionexpo.com .

TRENDS ON TAP

EB’s Erinn Morgan leads an interactive eyewear trend presentation at Vision Expo West. Stop by the Innovation Stage on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. for informal modeling of the season’s most on-trend specs styles.

Vegas Après Show GuideAn Insider’s Guide to Las Vegas

By David Farley

There once was a time when dining out in Las Vegas meant dull diners and bleak all-you-can-eat buffets. Recently, Sin City has turned into Sizzle City—because that’s the sound you hear coming from the kitchens of so many remarkable restaurants here. This year, we’ve hit the jackpot with a handful of dazzling dining destinations, categorized by indoor and outdoor seating options.

Inside Bets

If you haven’t had the chance to try any of chef David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants in New York City, you’ll feel like you have a royal flush at Momofuku ($$, 3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd.), located in The Cosmopolitan. First-timers (even 21st-timers) should opt for the luscious pork belly buns and/or the miso ramen.

High rollers and those looking for a splurge might want to cozy up to a table at Restaurant Guy Savoy ($$$, 3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd.), a replica of the namesake chef’s lauded eatery in Paris. With a view of the faux Eiffel Tower, diners can go all in on decadent French classics like seared foie gras sprinkled with black truffles. And don’t tap out before indulging in the famed chocolate fondant for dessert.

Las Vegas is home to one of the best Thai restaurants in the country. Lotus of Siam ($$, 620 E. Flamingo Rd.) takes diners on an edible tour of Thailand with well-executed dishes such as curry stews, charbroiled favorites, and chili-spiked noodle delights.

The original Tim Ho Wan ($, 4321 W. Flamingo Rd.) in Hong Kong once had the distinction of being the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant on the planet. But now you can hit the edible jackpot by feasting on this lauded eatery’s dumplings and dim sum right here.

Al Fresco Aces

Located at the Wynn, SW Steakhouse ($$$, 3131 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) is one of the few places in town you can tuck into a hunk of melt-in-your-mouth Kobe beef. And it’s even better when seated on the terrace overlooking the Lake of Dreams.

The tree-lined patio at Brezza ($$, 3000 Las Vegas Blvd.) is the ideal spot for homemade pastas, Tuscan wood-fired steaks, and coastal Italian fare. The sleek interior isn’t so bad, either.

If Eastern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula somehow collided, it would taste a lot like the fare at Forte Tapas ($, 4180 S. Rainbow Blvd.), where chef Nina Manchev expertly cooks up everything from Georgian baked cheese bread to Spanish chorizo simmering in a red wine reduction.

Nacho Daddy ($, 3663 W. Las Vegas Blvd.) is the ideal outdoor venue for sitting around with a fun-loving group sipping plus-sized margaritas and noshing on mountainous gourmet nacho platters that come piled with everything from lobster to filet mignon to fried chicken.

The Best Shows To See in Las Vegas Right Now

Going to Vegas without seeing a show would be tragic, or at the very least a missed opportunity, as the entertainment options here are world-renowned. Here are some picks.

You may not be able to drink the famously potent elixir at Absinthe, but you will be highly entertained at this comical and entertaining adult cabaret show in Caesars Palace (3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd.). An equally raunchy and riotous romp is Atomic Saloon, playing at The Venetian (3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.), an acrobatic and comedic tour of the Wild West.

At Sex n’ the City: A (Super Unauthorized) Musical Parody, playing at The Modern Showrooms at Alexis Park Resort Hotel (375 E. Harmon Ave.), you’ll journey back to 1990s New York in this hilarious send-up of everyone’s favorite female quartet of the small screen.

Nearly every night at 9:30 p.m., the Tropicana (3801 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) turns purple for Purple Reign, a popular Prince tribute band, that goes crazy performing very convincing versions of the legendary Minneapolis genius’s sensational songs.

For something equally dynamic, head to Omega Mart (3215 S. Rancho Dr.), a wildly fun, psychedelic, immersive, multisensory art installation where nothing is as it seems.