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Low Vision Low Down - September 2009
NEWS ALERT: 10% OFF Drayage at International Vision Expo West!
The Vision Expo partnership is rolling out a new program called "ExpoEase" that provides you with money saving options for Vision Expo West 2009.
• Turn-Key Booth Packages: Freeman is offering pre-designed packages in booth sizes from 400sf to 1000sf. Four distinct rental options exist in these sizes which are designed to save exhibitor costs and increase convenience around the booth building process. Images and order forms will be available soon. You can preview a sample turn-key booth, on the Vision Expo West show floor next to Reed's Sales & Marketing booth, and pre-order for Vision Expo East 2010!
• Pre-Paid Drayage: Save 10% on drayage costs by paying for the drayage in advance of the show. View the Pre-Paid Drayage order form and a one page "cheat sheet" which explains the program. PLUS: Freeman has frozen their rates for West to 2008 rates...saving you even more!
Reed Exhibitions' Operations team spearheaded the long process of cutting costs for exhibitors...which is still a work in progress, with additional discount programs to follow. We are pleased with what has been accomplished thus far and thrilled to be able to roll it out to Vision Expo West 2009. It is a testament to the influence and power of Reed Exhibitions...our partners in the Vision Expo events!
Vision Expo is currently pulling together final information for the turnkey booth packages as well as building a website for all ExpoEase programs. If you have any questions at this time, please contact prepaiddrayage@reedexpo.com or 888-319-1313.
International Vision Expo West Meeting Schedule
International Vision Expo West will be held October 1-3, at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas. The Vision Council will host several meetings around the show. All meetings will be held at the Venetian unless otherwise noted. Room numbers will be added closer to the event date. We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, September 29
Data Communication Standard/Direct Surfacing Task Force Meeting
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Room 801
AR Steering Committee Working Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Room 802
Wednesday, September 30
Lens Processing & Technology Division Meeting
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Room 801
Lens Division Meeting
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Room 803
Statistics Committee Meeting
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Room 804
Eyewear & Accessories Division Meeting
12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 801/802
The Vision Council Board of Directors
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Room 805
Thursday, October 1
Public Affairs Committee Meeting
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Room 801
Better Vision Institute (BVI) Dinner
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Canaletto at the Venetian
Saturday, October 3
Sunglass & Reader Division Reception
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Room 802
Sunday, October 4
Sunglass & Reader Steering Committee
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Sands - Room 104
Sunglass & Reader Division
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Sands - Room 105
The 4A's Update
The Low Vision Rehabilitation Coalition (LVRC), formerly known as "The 4A's," held a meeting February 12, 2009, in Washington D.C. at the AAO D.C. headquarters to discuss their medical model of care for low vision.
At the time The 4A's model was endorsed by three of the four member organizations. Since that meeting, all four members of the LVRC have now approved the medical model. The LVRC has also created a Video Taskforce which will be developing a video project that goes along with the diagram from the professionals' education aspect. The next face-to-face meeting of the coalition will be in the fall at AOTA.
The LVRC consists of members of the low vision sections of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, American Occupational Therapy Association and Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Their work has been developing since 2005.
To learn more, please contact Eve Zartman-Ball, The Vision Council senior director of public affairs and advocacy, at ezb@thevisioncouncil.org or at 703-740-2250.
Trade Ads Promote Low Vision to ECPs
The Vision Council's Low Vision Division has developed a trade advertising campaign to encourage eye care professionals to incorporate low vision into their practices. The advertisements cite that that adding low vision can increase a practice's earning potential and provide a listing of the phone numbers and websites of all low vision members as of July.
Three advertisements will run in Vision Care Product News, which reaches 37,000 eye care professionals, from August through October. Three corresponding eblasts will also be sent through Vision Care Product News during this same time frame to its list of 14,500 eye care professionals.
Print ad 1 (PDF)
Print ad 2 (PDF)
Print ad 3 (PDF)
Eblast 1 (HTML)
Eblast 2 (HTML)
Eblast 3 (HTML)
Keep an Eye on Late-Paying Customers
You most likely have customers that are late on their payments. But when does it become a real problem? The Vision Council offers its Credit Reporting System (CRS) as a tool to help the accounts receivable departments of member companies.
To use the CRS, members confidentially upload their own accounts receivable month-end data, which is then compiled with other members' data. From there, participating members can perform customer searches using federal ID numbers, business name, address or phone numbers to determine customer payment trends.
In addition to providing receivables data in a "current 30-60-90-120 day" format, the CRS provides an industry vs. vendor report which compares the member's accounts receivable to the industry total (the combination of all members' data). A core list of a subset of customers that have raised concerns regarding payment trends is developed as well.
The CRS was developed by Applied Information Technologies (AIT). The Vision Council is working closely with AIT to develop a new method for users to format their data that will allow their aging information to be downloaded without requiring federal id numbers.
The CRS, a Windows-based and Internet accessible application, is available for a 14-day trial to any member of The Vision Council not currently participating. Please contact Elaine Kennedy, The Vision Council senior manager of membership, at ekennedy@thevisioncouncil.org or call (703) 740-1099 for instructions and a temporary password.
Free "On the Road Sales Coach" Training
In March, The Vision Council launched a series of free sales training sessions for members. The quarterly sessions, called "On the Road Sales Coach," are conducted as facilitated conference calls and cover topics of interest to sales professionals, including how to sustain business growth in a tough economy, cold calling and time management.
The sales training is led by industry experts and serves as an open forum for sales professionals to brainstorm and share best practices. Participants are able to submit questions prior to each training session.
"The ‘On the Road Sales Coach' training is a great way to enrich the skills of sales teams by providing quality content that is up to the minute," said Rene Soltis, The Vision Council director of education and training. "The distance learning format allows companies to control training costs by having their sales team participate in training that is accessible from any geographic region."
The remaining "On the Road Sales Coach" sessions for 2009 include:
• Wednesday, September 2nd: Time and Territory Management
• Wednesday, December 2nd: Annual Report Cards: Obtaining and Embracing Feedback
The one-hour sessions are held at 8:00 a.m. EST and 11:00 a.m. EST to allow sales professionals on both the east and west coasts to participate before they begin their day of sales calls. Attendees will be provided with electronic session outlines and summary reports of each call.
To register for the free sales training courses, please contact Amber Robinson, The Vision Council member services coordinator, at (703) 740-1094 or arobinson@thevisioncouncil.org. An agenda and dial-in/web information will be provided upon registration.
Member Discounts
Do You Need Help Promoting Your Company?
The Vision Council is pleased to introduce Advent Packaging and Promotions, a fellow member of The Vision Council, as a trusted resource for your tradeshow gift and advertising specialty requirements. With over 20 years in the printing and promotional business, Advent has a proven track record of providing clients with creative and innovative ideas that are used to create an ideal promotional strategy when you have a niche product or need to attract a specific target audience.
With Advent, you're their client and they are your own personal shopper, providing service along with ideas and prices. When you order online, Advent has your interests in mind, monitoring your order and your deadline. Seldom will you receive that kind of personalized, "hand-holding" customer service from on-line company. Let Advent show you what they can do!
For more information, please contact Amber Robinson, member services coordinator, at arobinson@thevisioncouncil.org.
Save with ParcelSmart
The Vision Council is pleased to offer an exclusive benefit to members that will help you save time and money on your parcel shipments. ParcelSmart is the leading provider of contingency-based parcel auditing services. Working with DHL, FedEx and UPS carriers, ParcelSmart will help you find shipping errors and receive credits to your account. Typically, three to eight percent of the charges on your shipping invoices are made in error. ParcelSmart works to identify and correct these errors.
Run on a contingency-based program, if no errors are found, no fees will be collected. You can also receive a free carrier contract review to assure your carrier is in compliance with your agreement. Take charge of your shipping bills and get the credit you deserve.
Contact Amber Robinson, The Vision Council member services coordinator, at (703) 740-1094 or at arobinson@thevisioncouncil.org to learn more.
Member Update Form Winners
The 2009 Member Update Forms were mailed to member of The Vision Council in May. In appreciation for sending in your updated contact information, ten completed forms were randomly selected to win a $100 American Express gift card. Listed below are the winners of the $100 American Express gift card. Congratulations!
Eyewear & Accessories Division
Cheryl Canning - L'Amy America
Ange McClure - Kenmark Group
Chris Madden - Eye On Eyewear
Beth Lister - Eyewear BY ROI
Lens Division
Julianne West - Optical Dynamics
Barbara J. Wright - Seiko Optical Products of America, Inc.
Kelli Baltzersen - Pixel Optics, Inc.
Dave Delle Donne - Carl Zeiss Vision
LPT Division
Barbara Butler - Universal Photonics, Inc.
Sunglass & Readers Division
Mark Marshall - Mountain View Marketing, Inc.
Become Our Fan on Facebook
The Vision Council is now on Facebook! We have created fan pages that anyone can join. If you use Facebook please show your support for The Vision Council and Eyecessorize and become a fan of our pages!
