ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, announced that free registration for Vision Expo East 2021, taking place June 2-5 in Orlando, Fla., will be extended indefinitely. The decision to extend the free registration deadline is based on what they describe as a "recent, notable spike in attendee registration. Mitch Barkley, vice president of trade shows and events at The Vision Council, co-owner of Vision Expo, said, “With just four weeks to go until Vision Expo East, we are expecting to have at least 5,000 attendees at the show, a testament to the demand for an in-person event from the community and the high caliber of our more than 200 exhibitors.

“Based on the overwhelming response we’ve received, we are extending free registration to give the community more time to take advantage of this offering.”

Barkley added, “Due to restrictions on international travel, we always knew that Vision Expo East 2021 would look a little different than a typical, international Vision Expo East in New York City. Given these realities, it has been truly thrilling to have our expectations exceeded again and again—by the response from the industry, the enthusiasm from exhibitors and the momentum in attendee registration.”

Organizers also pointed to recent announcements regarding new industry supporters, new exhibitors, and details on the programming planned for The Seen, including the EYE2EYE Series, Innovation Stage and the Career Zone and said that the extended deadline also reflects an effort by the Show organizers to give the community time to make their plans based on these new show details.

Registration details or the show and continuing education are posted here. More than 200 exhibiting companies, of which more than 60 are new to Vision Expo, have committed to Vision Expo East. The list of exhibiting companies committed to-date is posted here.

“What’s so exciting about Vision Expo East Orlando is that we are expecting a comparable ratio of attendees to exhibitors as a typical Show, just on a smaller scale,” said Fran Pennella, vice president, Vision Expo, Reed Exhibitions.

“While we won’t have as many exhibitors or attendees given the international travel restrictions, the density of exhibitors and attendees is still on-track to be the same as a typical show, which is just incredible and speaks to the industry’s readiness for the first national trade show since 2019. We think it is appropriate to extend free registration so that everyone who wants to be a part of the first Expo in almost two years can do so.”

Vision Expo East’s educational program, together with OptiCon@Vision Expo, will open Wednesday, June 2 and exhibits will open Thursday, June 3.