AS STUDENTS AND DOCTORS, it can be difficult to take time away from studies and patient care to attend some of the great conferences available to optometrists Cost of travel, taking time off and other obstacles can serve as barriers to bringing the optometric community together.
What if you could attend an optometric conference and trade show from your own home or office? This is what the creators of the “Seeing is Believing 2013 Virtual Conference” aimed to create. Seeing is Believing, which took place Jan. 30-31, 2013, was an opportunity for optometric professionals to attend a virtual conference and learn more about topics such as maintaining your online brand, mobile marketing, e-prescribing, practice growth and much more through virtual sessions. Attendees were able to browse through booths in the virtual exhibit hall and even chat with vendors and representatives in an online chat room. Through the generosity of Walmart, students were offered free admission to the event and were able to take full advantage of the conference’s opportunities, as well as stop by the AOSA booth, staffed by AOSA President Elect, James Deom (PCO), and the OptometryStudents.com booth, staffed by founder Matt Geller (SUNY).
Over 1100 people registered for the virtual conference, the first of its kind in the optometric field. Although there is still much to be gained from attending conferences in person such as the networking and social aspects, the virtual conference provides a great opportunity to stay connected within the optometric community when it’s difficult to get away from all of the commitments of being an optometric professional. nOD
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