OcuSource Announces Virtual Conference for Vision Impairment Industry: Brings Presentations, Services & Products Directly to Consumers' Desktops
OcuSource.com, the vision impairment industry portal, announces the OcuSource EXPO – a 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 may be found at www.ocusource.com/expo/expo.cfm.
(PRWEB) May 7, 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 may be 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 conferences
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
of day 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 a company 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.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb237124.htm