MIAMI—CECOP, a leading association of independent opticians and optometrists, announced that it will launch its first virtual Global Summit, “Eye Connection” from March 10 to 16, bringing together an international community of professionals for education, knowledge sharing and collaboration. More than 6,700 CECOP members, eyecare vendors and brand representatives, industry experts and colleagues, spanning seven countries across two continents—Spain, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, U.S., Colombia and Mexico—are expected to attend the virtual event. “We are excited about the upcoming Global Summit, as it presents an opportunity for us to convey to our U.S. members the strength, scope and expertise of the CECOP community globally,” said Ignacio Macias, CEO, CECOP North America.

“We know that independent optometrists across North America will value this community as a fundamental place of collaboration to successfully overcome market challenges and provide great value to patients. We also invite U.S. optical professionals not currently affiliated with CECOP to attend our event and experience the CECOP difference.”

The seven-day Eye Connection Global Summit will take place in an innovative virtual space with three visual elements: an auditorium in which events will be held; a thematic space; and a pavilion with areas for each country and a brand marketplace for each, with a graphic interface.

Summit programming will include one day of global content, one day of country-specific content and five days of an open platform for exchanges. Highlights include:

• An interactive mystery theme.
• A guest appearance by Spanish actor Juan Fernández el Coronel Prieto (from the series La Casa de Papel).
• An inspirational speech by soccer player Francisco Javier Montero, known for practicing his sport with glasses.
• Presentations by 10 successful opticians from around the world about the future of the optical market and innovation.
• U.S. sessions about best practices to grow an optical business and gain profitability.

CECOP made its entry into the North American market in May 2020, as VMAIL reported with the acquisition of New York based Combine Buying Group and acquiring The Alliance Buying Group in January 2021.

CECOP now serves more than 2,000 independent optical stores and optometry practices in the U.S., with supplier deals and profit optimizing services, the company said.

Founded in 1996 by Jorge Rubio, CECOP has made a commitment to the needs of professionals in the independent and entrepreneurial sector of the optical market through best-in-class business practices, strategic expertise, operational management, training, and scaled purchasing power with premier suppliers.

Interested optical professionals can register at www.cecopglobalsummit.com. There is no cost and the event is open to all.