July 9, 2020 —The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, announced the decision to cancel Vision Expo West 2020, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, NV, from Sept. 23-26, citing Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak's recent announcement that Nevada “will remain in Phase 2 of reopening plans through the end of July due to current trends of the coronavirus infection.”
“While certainly disappointing, the decision to cancel Vision Expo West 2020 is prudent and necessary following the announcement of the extension of Phase 2 in Las Vegas into the end of July," says Fran Pennella, event VP, Vision Expo, at Reed Exhibitions. "Without having visibility on when the state of Nevada will be ready to roll into future phases or what the future phases will allow for, coupled with the unfortunate spiking of Covid-19 cases in the region, we know it is in the best interest of everyone in the vision community to not move forward with the show."
“We pride ourselves on being the industry’s ultimate gathering place and while we recognize and appreciate how important the show is to the community, we believe this is ultimately the right decision for our customers,” says Mitch Barkley, VP of trade shows and meetings at The Vision Council. “At the same time, we understand the vision community’s desperate need and desire to get back to business. To meet this urgent need, we are rolling out a comprehensive series of virtual offerings to bring the optical community together in between our physical events. Some of these offerings include our Virtual Connections program, which links our exhibitors with attendees; the Virtual EYE2EYE series, a series of virtual panels and interactive conversations inspired by Vision Expo’s EYE2EYE Educational Series; and the soon-to-be launched Virtual Vision Series, all of which can be accessed via visionexpo.com.”
The digital platform will include CE education, allow for direct appointment setting, and more.
Individuals who registered for Vision Expo West 2020 will receive separate, personalized communications in the coming days from the Vision Expo team.