Attending my first conference after lockdown.
Back in October, was the first time in 18 months, since the COVID pandemic that I had attended a Foot & Ankle Conference (in Liverpool) in person. It had been organised by Osgo.
I had been umming and ahhing, should I go or not, for the last 3 weeks. A part of me was very interested, and the other part was very apprehensive going out in public and being with people. Plus I was still recovering from a viral chest infection and I wasn’t sure whether a trip would be ideal, especially by the sea and with high winds. I was sceptical and hesitant to say the least! I did not know anybody else attending, apart from one of the comperes. About two days before, I decided to bite the bullet and attend. A day prior, I also found out that one of my friends from University would also be attending and it would be nice to meet and catch up with him, having not seen him for 25 years or so.
On Thursday evening, I was still unsure but all tickets and accommodation had been booked and paid for so off I went.
The conference began on Friday morning and was being held at the ACC Arena in Liverpool. It was rather beautiful setting, by the sea. The fresh breath of sea air felt very refreshing as did the sounds of the gulls squawking in the distance. I decided to just stand and breathe in the air for a few minutes. My hotel was just walking distance from it. Initially, I ended up walking into a GP conference and was fretting when they could not find my name until it dawned on me that everybody was too smartly dressed for a Foot & Ankle Conference! Normally in our podiatry conferences, the setting is relaxed and laid back. Everyone is dressed in casual/smart clothes with comfort being the operative word and above all, we all had our most comfortable shoes on and definitely nobody was suited and booted! Though I did notice the comperes and suppliers, trying to pad their feet up after standing for hours on end!
I quickly found my environment with my feet people and felt an immediate sigh of relief. I registered and at the desk, I also met a colleague who I recognised. This made me feel even more relaxed.
The arena was huge and was divided into three areas, centre stage, workshops and campfires sessions and an area for the suppliers. I felt a little overwhelmed and a little lost. I did not know where to go, do I sit down or wonder about?
I was looking for some familiar faces but could not see anyone. I decided to wander around all the stands before the event started. I managed to see some familiar faces. I had spoken to some of these suppliers on the phone or zoom but had never met them. It was a good opportunity to meet them in person which included the Birmingham Orthotic Services team. It gave me the chance to review all their range of orthoses (including Gary's beautiful hand stitching on all the foot and ankle braces!). They had also produced a catalogue with all their product range which I had been begging them to do for a while now, so I was honoured to receive the first copy of it, or so I was informed – made me think if they should have signed it for me to treasure it!
I still had not managed to see anyone familiar and because the arena was massive, it was difficult to see anyone as everybody was spaced out. I did manage to see the compere who is also my business coach that I had been meeting on monthly basis on Zoom. It certainly made me realise how Zoom has changed our world but it has also made me a bit of a hermit too.
The lectures began on the main stage which were very riveting and thought provoking. The first one was related to Biomechanics, but not having heard lectures live and in person meant, I really had to engage my brain cells to concentrate and digest the information. I kept trying to stop and re-listen but remembered that this is only possible in on a recorded version not a live one!
There was another particular lecture that was highly entertaining, not only because I had heard so much about his “Work Smarter Not Harder” phrase but also because of his choice of attire – a colourful animated suit as if he had stepped out a comic book- A SUPERHERO PODIATRIST! Once I got past the suit, I was able to listen to his message better.
There were lots of other very fascinating lectures such as Menopause and female athletes and the management of biomechanical conditions.
At first break, I finally caught up with my friend from university days. It was fabulous to see him. We chatted for the rest of the morning and caught up with each other lives from where our careers had taken us to our life experiences as well as finding out how our other colleagues from University days were doing. What was amazing to see was is that he had not changed a bit! He continues to work extremely hard but still has his mischievous streak in him! It brought back some good memories. In between all of this, he introduced me to some of his colleagues, being a Liverpudlian, he knew most of the crowd either from previous conferences or local private practices. This did generate some information sharing of how to improve private practices with a patient centred practice and has led to some ideas for me!
I was still dithering a little as I was unsure whether to go to campfire Sessions or Workshops or lectures. I spent most of the Friday listening to the main lecture events because there were a few lectures from Foot& Ankle consultants that caught my eye, as well as bring biomechanics into complex diabetic cases and another one about the origins of Run3D. I was intrigued by this piece of equipment. I would like to add that I am not a gimmicky person!!! But this gait analysis system provides real time data with treatment protocol recommendations for the patient. I decided to visit the stand and enquire more about it.
The day finished with a Drinks Reception which really broke the ice! It gave all of us, especially someone like me who did not know many people, a chance to integrate with fellow podiatrists. This led to a dinner at a local Italian where we were able to share ideas of what we had done on the day and provide feedback. It also gave me the opportunity to plan the next day so that I could use utilise the day to the maximum. I actual felt more confident knowing I had a plan of action.
The highlight on Saturday was practicing some mindful mediation to reduce business stress. Now I can resonate with this and you always feel alone but actually all businessman/woman feel this but we never talk about it. Our guard is always up. We go above and beyond for our patients and would never dare to think about ourselves. Never in a million years, would I have thought that, I was going to meditate in a Podiatry conference. I tend to meditate on a daily basis but doing this whilst learning about all things podiatry was very novel and exciting. I also loved hearing about how other podiatrists had tried to use Social media to increase and improve their presence which is key in this modern day to make the public aware of what we do apart from clipping nails!.
While I was there, I did not feel like I had taken too much away but on the train journey, I reflected and realised I had formulated a plan as what I wanted to do next to improve my practice which I am sure I will share with you in due course.
Catching up with Dave James (one of the hosts and speakers) at the event.