The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) hosted nearly 500 delegates in Toronto for its annual Symposium and InfoMart at the newly renovated Toronto Sheraton Centre Hotel April 7- 10. Once again, the centrepiece of the event was over 60 hours of high-level education by over 30 speakers from across North America along with local favorites.
OAO has become popular for its small workshop format where optometrists along with staff can learn a specific topic more in-depth and have a more hands on interactive experience.
The Symposium opened with its 106th Annual General Meeting where members had a chance to hear and voice their thoughts about their profession and the recent accomplishments and plans for the OAO. The President’s Keynote lecture featured Dr. Brad Sutton, Clinical Professor at the Indiana University School of Optometry, on Cancer and the Eye.
Once again, the OAO InfoMart was packed with over 100 booths featuring the latest in optometry related equipment, pharmaceutical advancements, business services, frames, lenses and more. Johnson & Johnson was the featured InfoMart Lead Partner and hosted the show’s first ever Cappuccino Bar which had constant line ups to experience the “eye” themed caffeinated hot drinks made by a professional barista. Bausch + Lomb sponsored a fabulous array of food for the Taste of Canada InfoMart Lunch. Alcon Canada was Diamond Marquee Symposium partner. Their sponsorship featured an entertaining keynote lunch by Brian Thwaites, a former high school teacher, on “Smart ways to use your brain.”
Mark your calendar for next year’s event in Toronto from April 7 – 9, 2017. To catch some highlights of this year’s event, visit the website at www.oaosymposium.com.
You can relive highlights of the OAO event at http://events.optikdigital.ca.
