Conference to provide future business insights

Kriss Akabusi

‘The future is now’ is the theme of SightCare’s conference on Sunday 29 and Monday 30 January at the Telford International Centre.

Postponed from 2022, the conference will bring together independent practice owners and their teams to network with colleagues and peers and enjoy two days of workshops, keynote speakers, CPD learning and fun.

The Sunday workshop is titled, ‘Organisations don’t change, people do’, and will explore how to make businesses ‘more human’.

John French, SightCare chief executive, explained: “Ultimately, all business is about ‘people’: no business succeeds without them. The better we understand ourselves, each other, and our customers the better we can serve them, sell more and build trusted business relationships over the long term.”

On the Sunday evening, the SightCare Awards will celebrate the ‘independent spirit’ with entertainment provided by “the comedian with eyes on optometry”, Sarah Louise Keegan.

On Monday, the conference will welcome motivational speaker Kriss Akabusi, who will talk about delivering peak performance in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) World. He will share his approach to dealing with the, “Hey, it’s crazy out there!” feeling in the small business world.

The founder and CEO of the Hakim Group, Imran Hakim will answer questions and provide an insight into the secret of his success, what he believes the future looks like for the optical High Street, the hazards to look out for, and what independent optical practices need to do, not just to survive but thrive.

Monday will also feature 14 business workshops covering topics such as, ‘Making the most of your brand’, ‘Turning every patient interaction into social media content for your digital strategy’, ‘Mastermind your way to private practice’, ‘The ABC of myopia management – why you should be offering myopia management services to your patients’, ‘Initial steps to becoming a sustainable practice’ and more.

John French added: “There is no going back. The fundamental changes in ways of working caused by Covid-19 require independent optical practices to change, too. Innovative approaches to agility and inclusion, which helped practice owners and their teams through the crisis, are at the core of resetting practices for long-term resilience.”

This year’s conference is supported by 37 of the optical sector’s independent focused suppliers demonstrating in person their support for the independent sector.

Learn more about the conference and book on the SightCare website.