Planning is well underway for O=MEGA21 and the 4th World Congress of Optometry in 2021. Presented by Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) and the Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association of Australia (ODMA), the event will take place from 2–4 September 2021, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Melbourne Australia was officially announced as the host city for the fourth World Council Congress of Optometry at the third World Council of Optometry (WCO), which was held in Orlando Florida alongside The American Academy of Optometry meeting.
The World Council of Optometry, which comprises 83 member countries, facilitates the development of optometry around the world and supports optometrists to promote eye health and vision care as a human right, through advocacy, education, policy development and humanitarian outreach.
The winning competitive global tender was put together by OV/SA and ODMA. A fact finding team led by Pete Haydon (CEO) OVSA from Melbourne visited the event to promote OMEGA21/WCO4 and were welcomed with some fanfare. The team manned a booth at the event, took the opportunity to deliver an address at the Gala Dinner and spoke at the welcome launch.
“The reception was amazing – more than 500 expressions of interest were received from the United States and international guests interested in coming ‘Downunder’ to O=MEGA21 in Melbourne,” said Mr Haydon.
In July 2019 OV/SA and ODMA joined forces to welcome more than 3,500 visitors to its first ever combined event, O=MEGA19. The organisers aim to build on this success for 2021.
ODMA CEO Finola Carey said, “Whilst this will be a truly international event, organisers would adopt the same formula that made O=MEGA19 successful for local exhibitors and visitors to make sure the 2021 event is enhanced for both domestic and international participants”.
