NEW YORK—There's still time to register for the next virtual Vision Monday Leadership Summit sessions, the latest in the 2021 series, which will take place on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. These two dynamic sessions will bring together a range of speakers from outside the industry and within the eyecare and optical retail space who will examine how the global pandemic has rewritten the fundamental rules of customer/patient engagement for both retailers and healthcare providers. The upcoming sessions, themed "Retail and Healthcare: UPENDED! Ripping Up the Rulebook," will be broadcast initially from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST on those dates via a unique VM Summit virtual platform.

All details for registration are posted here. Registration includes attendance to the virtual broadcasts, full access to the VM Summit virtual platform, networking, on-demand viewing, door prizes, and exclusive access to attendees-only content after the event.
 

The Oct. 20 program emphasizes some of the new healthcare challenges, important to eyecare professionals. Vision Monday's Andrew Karp stated, "Expert speakers will discuss how the pandemic has put patients’ trust to the test and how providers can help counter the formidable challenge of rebuilding that trust. We’ll also examine how new technologies are enabling doctors to remotely monitor patients’ health in ways that extend the reach of the practice.
 
"The data they collect can help eye doctors diagnose, predict and treat a wide range of conditions. And we’ll find out what successful retailers who create customer-centric experiences can teach healthcare companies and providers."

For the session on Rebuilding Trust, speakers include: Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer, WebMD, who has conducted over 300 video interviews with health and business leaders on this topic, and Jennifer Hauser, head of Edelman’s Wellness 360 business unit, who shares key findings from the influential Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual, global survey of consumer attitudes. These two leading healthcare voices will examine how the pandemic has put patients’ trust to the test and what providers can do to counter the challenge of widespread misinformation.
 






Jennifer Hauser, Edelman’s Wellness 360.

John Whyte, MD, WebMD.
Ankit Vahia, PhD, Grey Group.
Mohamed Shousha, MD, Heru.







Amir Khoshnevis, OD, Vision Source.
John Serri, EyeQue.
Kerri-Lynn Morris, Microsoft.
Mukesh Pitroda, Nerdery.

Another session of Oct. 20 examines Remote Possibilities. Escalated by the pandemic, consumers and patients are demonstrating their openness to using new technologies to redefine their own sense of wellness and take care of their own health, and to connect with healthcare providers in new ways to build relationships and promote healthier outcomes. There will be an  overview of key trends in this arena from Grey Group’s Ankit Vahia, PhD, executive strategy director, health and wellness. New remote monitoring technology’s potential in the vision care space will be explained by Dr. Mohamed Abou Shousha, founder, Heru and Kerri-Lynn Morris, Microsoft and from John Serri, co-founder and president, EyeQue. Then Grey’s Vahia will moderate a panel discussion with these speakers, plus Amir Khoshnevis, OD, chief medical officer, Vision Source.
 
What Has Healthcare Learned From Retail? The Oct. 20 program will review what raised awareness of what’s meant by “access” and “convenience” for patients who need to better manage their health and benefit from new services and technologies in new ways. “Patient-centric” healthcare is taking much inspiration from retail businesses who know how to leverage customer knowledge. Nerdery’s Mukesh Pitroda will discuss what healthcare providers and brands are learning and adopting from successful retailers, as new formats emerge.

The VM Summit's Oct. 27 program will examine the retail side of things. Vision Monday's Marge Axelrad noted, "We’ll hear about how to re-engage shoppers in creative new ways that employ technology, both in and out of the store for a seamless brand experience. We'll learn about virtual worlds and advanced digital platforms that are emerging and capturing consumers' imagination. And we'll hear from a panel of accomplished professional and optical retail leaders about their own approaches to prioritizing technology in their businesses, and bringing new ideas into practice.








Melissa Gonzalez, Lion’esque Group.
Robin Raskin, Virtual Events Group.

Cathy Hackl, Tech Futurist, Metaverse Strategist.
Chick Foxgrover, 4A’s.







Brian Chou, OD, Revision Optometry.
Mick Hall, Bard Optical.
Michael Bender, Eyemart Express.
Aaron Schubach, Standard Optical.

Oct. 27 will kick off with What’s The Store For? Leading innovative design and customer relationship expert, Melissa Gonzalez, founder/CEO, Lion’esque Group is a well-known retail influencer who helps brands and retailers create novel experiences which integrate the digital and the physical and bring customers into immersive experiences that drive excitement in "new" physical store environments.

A special section of Oct. 27 program, Welcome To The Metaverse! A New Destination for Shoppers and Brands, offers VM Summit attendees an exciting glimpse of this new digital world that combines virtual and physical dimensions for a totally new experience. The metaverse is challenging ideas of learning, retailing, experience and brand messaging in a range of fields from gaming to fashion to sports to socializing, music, film and culture. This is a fast-take intro about this new phenomenon and what everyone needs to know about how AR, VR and new tech is going to change, well, everything.
 
We’ll see a special video created for the VM Leadership Summit by consumer technology expert and VEG Group founder Robin Raskin, plus a conversation with two experts: Chick Foxgrover, EVP, Technology & Innovation of 4A’s and noted metaverse retail and branding expert Cathy Hackl. They will share their insights with VM’s Andrew Karp about the potential of the metaverse and the opportunities it offers brands.

These session will be followed by an informative session with a Special Panel: How ECPS and Retailers Are Embracing Rapid Change. Vision Monday's Marge Axelrad will moderate this discussion with Mick Hall, vice president Bard Optical, Brian Chou, OD of Revision Optometry, Aaron Schubach, CEO of Standard Optical and Michael Bender, CEO, Eyemart Express.

Both virtual sessions extend the 2021 VM Summit series of conversations and presentations under the theme "Creative Disruption," held earlier this year. They were "VirtualEYZE!," first held in June, which was a focused look at the opportunities for telehealth to expand eyecare's boundaries, and "ALL CONSUMED," held in August, a deep and fascinating dive into the new consumer mindset in a lot of areas. Each brought great and different speakers plus enlightening conversation from ECP/retailer panels. Registered users can access these On-Demand, in full or in part, through the end of the year.

VM Leadership Summit Registration includes attendance to the virtual broadcasts, full access to the VM Summit virtual platform, networking, on-demand viewing, door prizes, and exclusive access to attendees-only content after the event.
 
All those attendees previously registered for what was to have been a live Sept. 22 event in Las Vegas have been automatically registered for the two-part virtual event in October. Those ECPs who previously registered for the June and August event will be automatically registered for the October two-part virtual events.
 
New registrations are available at no charge for optometrists, opticians, ophthalmologists and students. New registrations are available for $198 to non-ECPs.
 
The Platinum Sponsors of the 2021 VM Leadership Summit are EssilorLuxottica, Healthy Eyes Advantage-PECAA and VSP Global Premier Program. The Gold Sponsor is The Vision Council's Vision Health Alliance and the Silver Sponsors are Alcon and Ocuco.