For Immediate Release
OcuSource Announces Virtual Conference for Vision Impairment Industry: Brings Presentations, Services & Products Directly to Consumers’ Desktops
Placentia, CA – May 5, 2005
OcuSource.com, the vision impairment industry portal, announces OcuSource EXPO – the virtual conference for the visually impaired and the service providers who support them. Through the integration of a web-conferencing utility called tcConference, visitors to this online event can participate in interactive online presentations, visit exhibitors “booths,” visit the “Café,” and even attend nightly entertainment. The conference is scheduled for June 8-11, and is found at www.ocusource.com/expo/expo.cfm.
“The OcuSource EXPO fulfils the needs of the vision impairment industry in numerous ways” states Dr. Lou Lipschultz, CEO of OcuSource.com. “So, there are somewhere between 12 to 14 million individuals who have some form of vision loss in the United States. Yet, we estimate that only 10,000 visually impaired persons attend the five major vision impairment tradeshows. There is obviously a significant access issue here,” stated Lipschultz, a low vision specialist and former executive of one of the manufacturers of technology for the visually impaired. “Lack of awareness, transportation, and financial constraints contribute to poor attendance at “physical” visual impairment conferences. OcuSource is now bringing conference to the attendee, rather than the attendee having to go to the conference, and doing it all through an accessible, interactive online venue.”
The “conference center” has easy-to-navigate “presentation halls” and “exhibit halls” allowing the visitor to find his or her way to the topic of interest. Presentation topics include macular degeneration, living with vision loss, new products, and presentations for vision care professionals. Exhibit halls are filled with “booths” staffed by manufacturers, vendors, agencies, organizations, and other entities eager to share information about their services and products. The key component in each conference booth is the ability to speak to the company’s representative. Each booth has its own online voice-chat and presentation room called tcConference, supplied by Talking Communities, a web-conferencing solutions provider. Exhibitors are free to schedule presentations within their booths regarding their services or products. Visitors who are unable to attend the live portion of the conference can still experience all the benefits through archived streaming videos of the presentations available for 14 days after the close of the live portion of the event. Any time, day or night, from around the world, visitors can view the information from each of these exhibitors, request information, and in some instances, enter a voice-chat room and ask questions of the representative.
Attendees have access to the other resources found on the OcuSource portal. In addition to the many searchable resources such as doctors, agencies and not-for-profit organizations, corporate purchasers such as schools and rehabilitation organizations have immediate access to OcuSource’s e-procurement service, OcuBid. If a product or service is desired, the purchaser can create a bidding opportunity, also called an RFB or RFP (request for bids or proposals) which is immediately distributed to hundreds of vendors to obtain competitive pricing. Visitors may also browse auctions of used devices like magnifiers and Braille products.
“Our greatest challenge is spreading the word to the seniors of North America. We’re hoping for distribution throughout the network of senior-oriented websites, as well as from the many senior organizations. The expo is now accepting applications for exhibitors, presentations, and sponsors, all of which are available online at www.ocusource.com/expo/expo.cfm.
About OcuSource
California based OcuSource.com, LLC is the owner and operator of www.ocusource.com , an internet portal dedicated to assisting the low vision and blindness industry with essential online resources. OcuSource’s mission is to enhance access to products, information, and services to individuals with vision impairment, as well as the professionals who assist them, through a set of integrated web-based resources. OcuSource provides vision impairment-specific resources such as auctions of adaptive products and accessories, search tools to find local and national resources like doctors and agencies, as well as other tools useful to eye care and rehabilitation professionals. The privately held company was founded in 2003, and is headquartered in Placentia, California.
About Talking Communities
Michigan based Talking Communities (www.talkingcommunities.com) creates interactive synchronous web conferencing tools which provide customers numerous capabilities in both their business and personal lives at a very affordable rate. Live voice-over-internet conference rooms are suitable for public or private business meetings, employee training and support, family get-togethers, educational purposes, public and private interactive events, live broadcasts, and web presentations. The company entered the market with its Audio Tips resource located at www.audio-tips.com. Audio-Tips is a family-oriented voice-chat community open to anyone seeking friends, support, fun, and learning.
| Contact information: Louis Lipschultz, OD President & CEO – OcuSource.com, LLC Email: loul@ocusource.com Website: www.ocusource.com Phone: 888-299-6657 ext 701 | Contact information: George Buys President & CEO – Talking Communities Email: buys@audio-tips.com Website: www.talkingcommunities.com Phone: (810)667-3043 |
