NEW YORK—Eyecare professionals in the Boston and New York areas are invited to special events being organized by the Italian Trade Commission in collaboration with ANFAO, Italy’s eyewear manufacturer association. A series of four evening events, with cocktails and special cuisine at dramatic event spaces in both cities, will enable ECPs in the U.S. to preview the unique collections of participating independent Italian eyewear brands. “An Evening at the Galleria” will feature 20 Italian companies, several new to the U.S. market.

The first two events will be held on June 7 in New York and June 9 in Boston. Registered optometrists, opticians and their staff can network with the Italian companies showing and stop by the New York event on Tuesday, June 7 between 3:00 p.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET at The Glasshouse Chelsea. The Boston event is on June 9 between 3:00 p.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET at The Exchange in the historic Boston Harbor.

“This is a new venture for the Italian Trade Commission. We are very excited to introduce this new, less formal format, 'an evening at the galleria', to promote Italian eyewear. We feel this format helps meet the needs of U.S. eyecare professionals who often cannot easily leave their practices during the day,” said Antonino Laspina, trade commissioner and executive director for the U.S. “The U.S. represents Italy’s premier export market for eyewear and as a trade promotion agency we are very eager to bring Italian flair to U.S. eyewear professionals,” Laspina said.

In addition, each attendee will receive a special coupon for a free ABO credit to use anytime when taking and passing one of the ABO/NCLE approved courses on 20/20’s Pro to Pro education site.

Future "Evening at the Galleria" events will be held in Chicago on Tuesday, October 11 and Dallas on Thursday, October 13. Interested eyecare industry professionals can learn more and register here. A list of participating companies is posted on the registration page.