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Download a PDF of Retail and Healthcare: UPENDED!

NEW YORK—With a compelling speaker roster in place, The Vision Monday Leadership Summit culminated in October this year in two dynamic sessions which explored how new market forces, unleashed and amplified by the global pandemic, are rewriting the fundamental rules of customer/patient engagement for both retailers and healthcare providers. Part of the series of VM Leadership Summit sessions that started earlier this spring, the Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 virtual programs were themed “Retail and Healthcare: UPENDED! Ripping Up the Rulebook.”

Registration is still open for both of these virtual events. All details for registration are posted at www.visionmonday.com/summit. Registration included attendance to the virtual broadcasts, full access to the VM Summit virtual platform, networking, on-demand viewing, door prizes, and exclusive access to attendees-only content after the event. For those interested in still registering, on-demand access to the virtual events will be available until Dec. 31, 2021.

New registrations are available at no charge for optometrists, opticians, ophthalmologists and students. New registrations are available for $198 to non-ECPs.

The Platinum Sponsors of the 2021 VM Leadership Summit are EssilorLuxottica, Healthy Eyes Advantage-PECAA and VSP Global Premier Program. The Gold Sponsor is The Vision Council’s Vision Health Alliance and the Silver Sponsors are Alcon and Ocuco.

The two-hour virtual program of Part 1 of Retail and Healthcare: UPENDED! on Oct. 20 included the following sessions.





Rebuilding Trust
Shock and aftershocks of the pandemic and the restoration of business and a growing range of new attitudes among patients, providers, health systems and business has laid bare cracks in the system and an awareness of the social safety net. It’s up to business, government and healthcare to repair these ruptures. This session included Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer, WebMD, who has conducted 300+ video interviews with health and business leaders on this topic.

Jennifer Hauser, who heads Edelman’s Wellness 360 business unit, discussed key findings from the influential Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual, global survey of consumer attitudes. These two leading healthcare voices examined how the pandemic has put patients’ trust to the test and what providers can do to counter the challenge of widespread misinformation.

Remote Possibilities
Escalated by the pandemic, consumers and patients are demonstrating their openness to using new technologies to redefine their own sense of wellness and take care of their own health, and to connect with healthcare providers in new ways to build relationships and promote healthier outcomes. This session explored how new remote monitoring systems and wearables are directly involving the patient in managing care with their doctors.

The session provided an overview of key trends in this arena from Grey Group’s Ankit Vahia, PhD, executive strategy director, health and wellness. Highlights included new remote monitoring technology’s potential in the vision care space with Dr. Mohamed Abou Shousha, founder, Heru and Kerri-Lynn Morris, Microsoft and from John Serri, co-founder and president, EyeQue. Then Grey’s Vahia moderated a panel discussion with these speakers, plus Amir Khoshnevis, OD, chief medical officer, Vision Source.

What Has Healthcare Learned From Retail?
The pandemic accelerated and raised awareness of what’s meant by “access” and “convenience” for patients who need to better manage their health and benefit from new services and technologies in new ways. “Patient-centric” healthcare is taking much inspiration from retail businesses who know how to leverage customer knowledge and preferences to create a more interesting, engaging and dynamic customer-centric experience. Nerdery’s Mukesh Pitroda discussed what healthcare providers and brands are learning and adopting from successful retailers, as new formats emerge.

The two-hour virtual program of Part 2 of Retail and Healthcare: UPENDED! on Oct. 27 included the following sessions.

What’s The Store For?
Leading innovative design and customer relationship expert, Melissa Gonzalez, founder/CEO, Lion’esque Group is a well-known retail influencer, helping brands and retailers create novel experiences which integrate the digital and the physical. Gonzalez explored how to bring customers into immersive experiences which are now driving excitement in “new” physical store environments.

Welcome To The Metaverse! A New Destination for Shoppers and Brands
This session enabled attendees to enter a new world as the parallel and imaginative realm of the metaverse is challenging ideas of learning, retailing, experience and brand messaging in a range of fields from gaming to fashion to sports to socializing, music, film and culture. This session served up a fast-take intro about this new phenomenon and what everyone needs to know about how AR, VR and new tech is going to change, well, everything!

Attendees saw a special video created for the VM Leadership Summit by consumer technology expert and VEG Group founder Robin Raskin, plus a conversation with two experts: Chick Foxgrover, EVP, Technology & Innovation of 4A’s and noted metaverse retail and branding expert Cathy Hackl. They shared their insights with VM’s Andrew Karp about the potential of the metaverse and the opportunities it offers brands.

How ECPS and Retailers Are Embracing Rapid Change, A Special Panel Discussion
Influential “vision voices” discussed how their companies and practices are prioritizing investment decisions around current challenges in their practice such as staffing, telehealth and implementing new technologies to improve efficiency and enhance the patient experience. Vision Monday’s Marge Axelrad moderated this discussion with Mick Hall, vice president Bard Optical, Brian Chou, OD of Revision Optometry, Aaron Schubach, CEO of Standard Optical and Michael Bender, CEO, Eyemart Express.