FOOTHILLS RANCH, Calif.—Oakley hosted the first of two VIP Days events for their best accounts from all over the country on Aug. 8 and 9 at their “Interplanetary Headquarters,” based here.

During the first event, accounts and reps from the East and Midwest attended totaling approximately 50 people from 30 of Oakley’s best accounts. The second event, held Aug. 14 and 15, hosted an additional 70 people, including 40 accounts from the Southeast and West Coast and their sales reps.

Guests were flown into John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., where transportation was provided for them to the The Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach, Calif. There they each received a welcome package of Oakley goods. That night each account had dinner with their respective rep, and the following day they were all bussed out to Oakley’s HQ for tours of the facility, including production and the lab, as well as general introductions to a number of Oakley initiatives. The first night capped off with a special event, including a San Diego Padres baseball game.

Day Two included a variety of workshops on Oakley’s Women’s business, working with managed care, operational excellence and an early read on 2013 product offerings. Accounts also were given time to sit down with their reps to buy product and write business. The second day was capped off with an elegant evening celebration on site. ■

dcarroll@jobson.com

   
 The entrance of Oakley’s Interplanetary Headquarters.
 Attendees were given the opportunity to see Oakley’s full product line at their on-site store open to the public.
   
 Oakley’s Ted Li welcomes the VIP Days attendees on Day 1.
 FramesDirect.com’s Jennifer Cameron (l) and Clotilde Bedoya.
   
 (L to R) Amy Brandsma, Ken Melies and Judy Haber of Eurpotics in Denver, Colo.
 (L to R) Eyetique’s Brad Childs, Oakley’s Kelly Bickford and Adrian Dalalau with Norm Childs of Eyetique.


Oakley’s Saadia Mizrahi (l) with Rick Bell, OD, of Eyetx Vision Center in San Antonio, Texas.
( L to R) Tom Hughes and Christine Sutton of Hughes Opticians in Delmar, N.Y., with Jeanmarie Ranieri and Nurcia Cepin from Emerging Vision in Stormville, N.Y.