AOA Annual summer meeting (Boston 2016)

This past summer, I went to my first major optometry conference as an optometry conference. Every year in the summer months, the American Optometric Association hosts a national meeting. In 2016, it was held at Boston, so me and some optometry friends went there this past July 2016. Here are some clips of what we did! It's expensive to attend a conference because depending on what school you go to, most schools don't give you a stipend to attend a conference as a student. There is usually a registration fee (ranging from $50-100, which is a good deal because as an OD, I hear you pay around $300 per day of conference, at least for the bigger conferences). However, if you look out for smaller conferences in your area, there may be cheaper, smaller scale conferences to go to on the weekend for the networking experiences.

At the conference, you can attend as much Continuing education events as you want and get to meet other practicing optometrists and get a feel for what your future will be like. The conferences also have networking events, lunches, and dinners to meet other optometrists and optometry students around the nation. Sometimes groups at the conference will also host evening socials which are fun to attend to. And of course, being in Boston for the first time, I had to explore the city~~

Wednesday 6.29
Cafe
dinner- Giarcoma (lobster dinner in Boston)

Thurs: 6.30
attend CE event at convention in the morning
Boston Tea Party
Bon mi restaurant
evening- quiz bowl event. This is a student event held annually with AOA. It's a great way for students from optometry schools in U.S. and Canada to cheer on their fellow classmate as they complete in "Student Bowl", which is basically an optometry trivia competition. We get to learn and refresh some optometry facts and "trivia", as well as mingle and network with other students.
After part/social at Hard Rock and bar .

Friday: 7.1
CE event in the morning
James Hook - Lobster rolls for lunch
Attend the residency forum at conference
Walmart reception and ICO reception inside Westin Hotel
attend the after party luxoticca live at royale and after party with other optometry students

-AOA also hosts an after social after the student bowl. This year it was at Hard Rock cafe/bar in Boston. It was cool because it was a silent disco so we were all given headphones to wear, with 3 different types of music to listen to. So when we put the headphones on, everyone can jam to the music of their liking. At the same time, if you wanted to be social and talk to other people, you can take off the headphones and still be able to hear people.

Sat: 7.2
Bee Hive- brunch
Newbury street shopping
Attend scleral event at conference at 3:30
Dinner- Myer Changs
Top of the hub bar

Sun: 7.3
USS Constitution museum
Freedom trail bunker movement
Pauli's-lunch
Beacon hill
Ned Divines pub - clam chowder
Quincy market
Ferry cruise at Boston Harbor

Mon: 7.4
Biking at esplanade
Thinking cup
Paddy O's- lunch