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IDOC Announces Connection 2027: ‘Stronger Together’ Registration Now Open, Program Highlights Revealed

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Annual conference heads to Colorado Feb. 11-14, 2027, with 50% more continuing education, new optician roundtables, dynamic breakout sessions, and keynote speaker Matthew Emerzian

TRUMBULL, Conn., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IDOC, a quietly powerful ally for optometrists who practice on their own terms, has opened registration for Connection 2027: Stronger Together, taking place Feb. 11-14 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Colorado. The conference will offer independent optometrist practice owners, office managers, opticians, and staff from across the country expanded continuing education (CE), peer-to-peer collaboration, and a first look at new IDOC offerings designed to make independent ownership easier.

“Independent practices are stronger together, and Connection is where that comes to life,” said IDOC CEO Dave Brown. “Our members practice on their own terms, but with IDOC’s scale, expertise, and community behind them, they never have to do it alone. That’s why this year’s conference offers more for the entire practice team than ever before, with an agenda built around the challenges independent practices are facing right now. Every part of it is designed to help members keep changing lives through better sight. The future of optometry isn’t built in isolation. It’s built together.”

2027 Event Highlights

IDOC General Session
From exciting developments on the horizon to inspiring examples of member success, the IDOC General Session will send attendees home with fresh ideas, renewed confidence, and a deeper appreciation of what’s possible together.

New Facilitated Member Panels
Facilitated, discussion-led panels will combine real member experiences, expert perspectives, and audience participation to explore the opportunities and challenges facing independent optometry today. The focus will be on conversation rather than presentations, with attendees hearing directly from peers and industry experts. At the heart of each discussion is one question: What can we learn from one another to build stronger practices, stronger teams, and stronger futures?

Dynamic Expert-Led Breakout Sessions
From the exam lane to the front desk to the bottom line, expert-led breakout sessions are built to help independent practices compete and grow. Sessions will cover practice management, leadership, AI, clinical innovation, and business growth and planning, with content tailored to each role in the independent practice.

50% More Continuing Education
Connection 2027 offers an expanded program designed to support both clinical excellence and business growth, with 50% more continuing education than last year. Courses offer credit across COPE for optometrists and ABO, NCLE, and CPC for staff, giving entire practice teams the chance to earn the credits they need, all in one place.

Expanded Team Development: Peer Roundtables
New for 2027, IDOC is introducing Optician Roundtables, giving optical teams their own space to connect, solve problems, and exchange best practices with peers. The new sessions, limited to 30 attendees, join IDOC’s popular peer-to-peer roundtables for practice owners and office managers. Roundtables consistently fill early each year, so attendees are encouraged to secure their spot before registration closes on Jan. 8, 2027.

Visionary Keynote Session and Featured Speakers
The conference will feature keynote speaker Matthew Emerzian, a four-time bestselling author and founder and CEO of Every Monday Matters. After a successful music industry career working with artists like U2 and Coldplay, Emerzian has spent nearly two decades helping people and organizations understand how much and why they matter. Drawing on his Mattering Mindset™ framework, Emerzian will share an inspiring perspective on finding purpose and creating meaningful impact. Attendees will also hear from featured speakers, including Dr. Steve Vargo, Nathan Hayes, Sharon Carter, Joy Gibb, and Kayla Ashlee.

Vendor Marketplace, Networking, and Social Events
Some of the conference’s biggest takeaways happen outside of sessions, through relationships built with fellow members, IDOC’s team, and strategic vendor partners. In the Vendor Marketplace, attendees can meet IDOC’s vendor partners face-to-face and explore the latest products, technologies, and practice solutions. Social events keep the conversations going, including the Alpine Adventure Thursday Night Reception and the ’80s Après Ski Saturday Night Closing Party.

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center
The Gaylord Rockies offers attendees eight restaurants and bars, the Relâche Spa, daily yoga, outdoor firepits with sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains, a year-round indoor pool, a heated outdoor pool, and a Topgolf Swing Suite, giving members plenty of ways to enjoy their time between sessions.

Registration for Connection 2027 and the hotel room block close on Jan. 20, 2027. To learn more and register, visit idoc.swoogo.com/connection2027.

About IDOC

IDOC empowers independent business owners to change lives through better sight by making independent ownership easier. IDOC is part of a global community of more than 7,000 optometrist owners caring for over 50 million patients, dispensing over 25 million pairs of glasses, and supplying over 1 billion contact lenses every year.

Built exclusively for independent optometrists, IDOC does not own retail stores or chains, operate a vision-benefits plan, or supply products sold through competing optical practices. IDOC delivers the benefits of scale through access to the world’s largest vertically integrated optical supply chain, alongside world-class strategic and operational support dedicated exclusively to independent practices. As the leading independent alliance in the U.S., IDOC provides the highest quality products at affordable prices to empower independent business owners to care for more patients, grow profitability, and compete with confidence. For more information, visit idoc.net.

Media Contact
Trailblaze for IDOC
IDOC@trailblaze.co

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HR Path Strengthens its Australian Presence with Strategic Acquisition of Payroll Experts Australia

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PARIS, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HR Path, a global leader in HR consulting and HRIS solutions, today announces its strategic acquisition of Payroll Experts Australia, a Brisbane-based company specialising in payroll compliance, remediation, workforce management and HR systems consulting.

Founded in 2009, Payroll Experts Australia has delivered more than 530 projects for over 260 organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Independent of any software vendor, the company supports employers across the full payroll, workforce management and HR systems lifecycle, with expertise spanning payroll compliance and audit, remediation, award and agreement interpretation, payroll processing, advisory and end-to-end systems implementation.

The acquisition strengthens HR Path’s ability to provide end-to-end HR transformation services across the ANZ market. Payroll Experts Australia’s specialist capabilities complement HR Path’s existing HRIS technology and SAP SuccessFactors expertise, enabling the combined organisation to support clients with a broader range of locally grounded services, from strategic advisory and systems implementation to payroll compliance and operational support. 

Payroll Experts Australia will continue to operate under the brand “Payroll Experts Australia, an HR Path Company”. Its leadership team and employees will remain in their current roles, ensuring continuity of service for clients while giving the business access to HR Path’s international capabilities and resources. 

The transaction builds on HR Path’s expansion in the region. HR Path has been active in Australia since 2019, following the acquisition of DDG. It opened an Australian office in 2024 and acquired RKM Consulting in 2025, strengthening its HRIS technology and SAP SuccessFactors capabilities across Australia and New Zealand.  

“The acquisition of Payroll Experts Australia, a company renowned for its expertise in payroll compliance, is a strategic move that supports our ambition to be the global reference in HR transformation,” said François Boulet, Co-founding Partner at HR Path. “Their deep knowledge and strong client relationships in Australia complement our global capabilities, enabling us to deliver even more value to our clients. This partnership is about synergy, innovation, and shared commitment to excellence.”

“We are very happy about this new chapter!” said Steve Keenaghan, Chief Executive Officer at Payroll Experts Australia. “This step opens up exciting opportunities for our team and our clients and ensures our continued growth and success. We will maintain our commitment to delivering exceptional, independent payroll expertise while exploring new possibilities within HR Path.”

Contact:

Fabienne LATOUR  Fabienne.latour@hr-path.com

 

 

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Sungrow Powers Up for All Energy Australia 2026 With New Residential Innovation and Full Ecosystem Showcase

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MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sungrow, the global leader in PV inverter and energy storage solutions, is set to make a strong return to All Energy Australia 2026, the region’s largest and most influential renewable energy exhibition. It will introduce its next-generation all-in-one residential flagship PowerHarbour, alongside a comprehensive showcase of technologies for residential, C&I, and utility-scale applications.

As Australia accelerates toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future, Sungrow’s presence at All Energy will once again serve as a central meeting point for industry leaders, installers, innovators, and policymakers. The booth will offer visitors a rich blend of product demonstrations, technical insights, interactive experiences, and opportunities to connect with Sungrow’s local engineering and sales teams.

A New Addition to Residential Energy Storage

At the upcoming All-Energy 2026, Sungrow will officially unveil PowerHarbour in Australia for the first time. It is a residential all in one solution designed to simplify energy independence for homeowners. It combines sleek design, intelligent integration, advanced safety features and a modular design that can deliver up to 120kWh of capacity. The enhanced AFCI 3.0 protection makes it one of the most flexible and homeowner‑friendly systems on the market. The result is a clean, integrated solution that empowers households to take control of their energy with confidence and ease.

C&I Solutions for Diverse Applications

The exhibition will also showcase Sungrow’s C&I portfolio, including PowerKeeper, deployed across diverse Australian environments, and the ST255CS liquid-cooled BESS cabinet, designed for applications such as microgrid stability and FCAS. Together, these solutions demonstrate Sungrow’s capabilities in delivering flexible, reliable energy storage for a wide range of commercial and industrial needs.

Utility-Scale Innovation on Display

For utility developers and EPCs, Sungrow will present a full-size PowerTitan 3.0, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see the battery container up close. Together, PowerTitan 3.0 and 1+X modular inverter demonstrate advanced energy storage, grid-forming capabilities, and flexible deployment for complex project environment. Backed by dedicated local project management, comprehensive technical support, and a growing project pipeline across Australia and New Zealand.

Visit Sungrow at Booth KK123

Sungrow invites all attendees to visit Booth KK123 at All Energy Australia 2026 to experience its latest residential, commercial, and utility‑scale innovations firsthand. Attendees can expect a vibrant and engaging atmosphere throughout the day featuring lucky draws with exciting prizes, free premium coffee, photobooth and insightful presentations. The booth promises a full day of discovery, connection, and inspiration. Sungrow looks forward to welcoming partners, customers, and renewable energy enthusiasts as we continue powering Australia’s clean energy future together.

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AglaiaSense and Leopard Imaging to Demonstrate Privacy-First AI Traffic Sensing at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona

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FREMONT, Calif. and BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AglaiaSense and Leopard Imaging will exhibit together at Smart City Expo World Congress, November 3–5, 2026, at Fira Barcelona Gran Vía.

The two companies proposed AI-VIVA (Vision Intelligence for València and Arterials) and is selected as a finalist in the fifth urban challenge of Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility (BILM), on the application of artificial intelligence to traffic-light regulation. AI-VIVA combines AglaiaSense’s edge-AI traffic solutions with Leopard Imaging’s patented privacy architecture. At the show, the team will give a live demonstration of AglaiaSense’s signature MS500 and GS500 cameras, with the AglaiaSense AI Box, powered by NVIDIA, which adds local processing to coordinate groups of neighboring intersections.

The cameras analyze images inside the device, using the Sony IMX500 and IMX501 intelligent vision sensors. They count and classify vehicles, buses, cyclists and pedestrians in real time. Raw video is discarded on the device within 400–800 milliseconds, and only anonymous metadata is transmitted. Cities can feed that data into signal-control software to adapt traffic lights to real demand.

MS500: about 2 W average power, 1080p, powered from a standard NEMA or ZHAGA street-light socket.

GS500: about 6.5 W average, dual 4K cameras, with Ethernet, LTE Cat 4 and GPS; powered by PoE, 12–24 V DC or a NEMA adapter.

Both cameras: IP66-rated, −20 °C to +65 °C, mounted on existing poles, so no trenching or new masts are needed.

Bandwidth: more than 95% lower than CCTV-based monitoring.

“Cities want safer, smoother streets without turning every crossing into a surveillance point,” said Leon Luo, CEO of AglaiaSense. “Being named a finalist in Barcelona tells us the approach resonates.”

“Privacy has to be built into the camera, not added later,” said Bill Pu, CEO of Leopard Imaging.

AglaiaSense’s solutions are deployed across North America and Asia, and the company won first place in the Pedestrian Safety Challenge Hackathon, run by the Edge AI Foundation (formerly the tinyML Foundation) and the City of San José. In field tests, the systems achieved detection and counting accuracy above 95%. The City of Lakewood, Colorado, compared the GS500 with traditional IP cameras and LiDAR on real roads and found it more accurate, more energy-efficient, and less costly to deploy. At a high-risk crossing where pedestrians often crossed outside the crosswalk, the system alerted approaching drivers in real time.

Visit us at Pavilion 3, Level 0, Street D, Stand 71. To book a meeting, email sales@aglaiasense.com.

About AglaiaSense

AglaiaSense, is an edge-AI company specializing in privacy-first, vision-based sensing for smart cities. Its GS500 and MS500 cameras run AI on the image sensor to count and classify road users in real time and send only anonymous metadata.

About Leopard Imaging

Leopard Imaging is a global leader in high-definition embedded cameras and AI-based imaging solutions in industries including automotive, aerospace, drones, IoT, and robotics.

Media contact:

Cathy Zhao

+1 (408) 263-0988

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