Winner to be Revealed at Vision Expo East 2022 during Celebratory Event at The Bridge
Alexandria, VA – March 1, 2022 – The Vision Council and RX, organizers of Vision Expo, today announce the finalists for the Fourth Annual OPTImum Retail Award, which celebrates independent boutique retailers by showcasing their products, stores, visions, and stories to the optical industry.
The 2022 finalists are:
- Black Optical (Dallas, TX; Oklahoma City, OK; Tulsa, OK; St. Louis, MO)
- Eyes on Sheppard (North York, Ontario)
- Ocean Optometry (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
- OPTYX New York (New York, NY)
To determine the final winner, the vision care community is encouraged to learn more about each finalist and vote for their favorite here. Voting will be open from today, Tuesday, March 1 to Monday, March 14. Social media votes will then be factored into the judges’ scores.
The OPTImum Retail Award winner will be announced at Vision Expo East 2022 on Friday, April 1 at 5:45pm at The Bridge, following the EYE2EYE Series panel, Onward with Independence. Additionally, the winner will be featured in an article in 20/20 Magazine.
Applicants for the 2022 award were judged based on three categories, detailed below:
- Pivoting post-pandemic: Applicants will be asked to describe what changes they have made to their business since the onset of the pandemic.
- Community: Applicants will be asked to describe how they engage with their local community to create meaningful relationships.
- Aesthetics: Applicants will be asked to submit photos of their retail environment.
To determine the finalists, a committee of top industry leaders deliberated and voted based on the categories of pivoting post-pandemic, community and aesthetics. This year’s committee members include: Julia Gogosha, Gogosha Optique, 2020 winner; Christian Roth, Designer + Co-Founder of Christian Roth Eyewear & Optical Affairs and the first Council of Fashion Designers of America member in the eyewear category since 1990; and James Spina, 20/20 Magazine editor-in-chief and senior vice president.
The OPTImum Retail Award recognized Todd Rogers of Todd Rogers Eyewear in 2018. Edward Beiner of Edward Beiner Eyes Forward received the honor in 2019, followed by Julia Gogosha of Gogosha Optique in 2020.
Vision Expo East 2022 will take place at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from March 31–April 3, 2022. The Show’s educational program, together with OptiCon®@Vision Expo, will open Thursday, March 31 and the Exhibit Hall will open Friday, April 1. To register, click here.
For more information on Vision Expo, visit visionexpo.com and follow Vision Expo’s social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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About Vision Expo
Vision Expo East and West are trade-only conferences and exhibitions for eyecare and eyewear presented by co-owners RX and The Vision Council. Vision Expo is the complete event for ophthalmic professionals, where eyecare meets eyewear, and education, fashion and innovation mingle. In the Vision Expo Exhibit Hall, eyecare providers can discover trends, interact with new technologies and access innovative products and services. The Vision Expo education program is driven by the profession, offering content of the highest quality and relevance to enhance overall patient care. For more information, visit VisionExpo.com and follow Vision Expo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About The Vision Council
As the vision care leader in enabling better vision for better lives, The Vision Council positions its members for success by promoting growth in the vision care industry through education, advocacy, research, consumer outreach, strategic relationship building and industry forums.
About RX
RX is in the business of building businesses for individuals, communities and organisations. We elevate the power of face-to-face events by combining data and digital products to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 400 events in 22 countries across 43 industry sectors. RX is passionate about making a positive impact on society and is fully committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.rxglobal.com