• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 9, 2022, Norwalk CT – IDOC's national conference this year, The Connection 2022, drew a record-breaking audience of more than 800 attendees including IDOC members, sponsor representatives, and other industry professionals from across the country. After a virtual Connection in 2021, this year’s event marked the return to an in-person format, leading to IDOC's largest gathering in its history.

Inspiring Innovation
The theme for this year's event was Inspiring Innovation, providing attendees with new insight into the critical role of business innovation in private practice success. Highly sought-after speakers Tiffany Lanier and Amy Jo Martin supported this theme with keynote sessions that urged attendees to successfully navigate change and develop innovation strategies to unlock personal and professional success. A robust sponsor marketplace of over 45 exhibitors showcased industry innovations and provided attendees with ample opportunities to network with vendors, seek out new products, and gain insight into industry trends.

Empowering Education
True to IDOC's history, education was a key component of the conference with a full agenda of classes that emphasized the role of staff in driving practice success. Over 40 speakers presented courses for every practice role, delivering 60+ hours of on-site education including multiple sold-out classes and certified courses for ABO, NCLE, CPC, and COPE. "We recognize that staff are a key driver of success for independent practice owners," says Cori Pickwick, Events Manager at IDOC. "At The Connection, we placed a very high value on developing educational opportunities for every staff role in the practice. We wanted to create an environment of learning that translated to practice growth for our members." The conference provided training in a wide variety of course formats including live workshops, lectures, general sessions, and more.

Supporting Practice Management & Highlighting New IDOC Services
IDOC's recent launch of turnkey practice management services for the OD community received a tremendous response at the event. "With our hands-on services, we offer our members the kind of business expertise, tools, and education they need to give their practice an edge while alleviating the business burdens they face every day," said Dave Brown, IDOC's President and CEO. "At The Connection, we saw an incredible response to these services with multiple sign-ups across all the services. It's thrilling to see members get excited about their practice success and realize that with the right tools from IDOC, they can achieve their dreams."

IDOC's full suite of offerings were highlighted at the event including IDOC Marketing Services, Financial Services, Optical Services, HR Services, and Specialty Services. IDOC Service experts from all around the country were available throughout the entire event to consult with members, driving IDOC's commitment to innovation and business support for the independent optometry community.

About IDOC
For the past twenty years, IDOC has remained committed to building a powerful community of independent optometrists, providing advanced practice management tools, advice and support systems that drive business growth. Membership plans include expert consulting, metrics-based business solutions, negotiated vendor discounts and peer-to-peer networking. IDOC works collaboratively with 3,000+ independent ODs to help them stay ahead of industry change and achieve their business vision, their way. For more information about IDOC, call (203) 853-3333 or visit IDOC.net.