Like a fine wine...

01 November 2011
Volume 27 · Issue 10

Eddie MacKenzie attended the Denplan National Conference, which saw the company celebrate its 25th birthday.

The Denplan National Conference was held at the Forest of Arden Hotel, Warwickshire and gave delegates the opportunity to unwind on the golf course, earn CPD for a number of lectures and events throughout the course of the weekend and spend time with the family during fun parties and activities.

Opening on the Friday, the conference began with dentists relaxing over a leisurely 18 holes of golf before feasting on a buffet lunch in preparation for the afternoon's session. A quick video reviewing Denplan's development over the course of the last quarter-century was followed by Steve Gates, Denplan's managing director, explaining why the company was formed and where it is looking to go. The talk gave Steve a platform to show photographs of the early years, and in doing so the perfect opportunity to embarrass some of the senior ranks of the company who sported dodgy haircuts and beards.

Steve then introduced the keynote speaker of the day, Alastair Campbell. The choice of speaker was perhaps surprising, an unashamedly left wing journalist who can sometimes come across as rather grumpy and depressive. He immediately won over the crowd though by joking about his persona and how he is perceived.

Whilst relating anecdotes of his time with the Blair Government he explained his personal method of dealing with pressure, and the importance of focus. He advised delegates to identify an objective, work out a strategy and form tactics, not letting anything get in the way of that. That applies to business, politics, and anything else in life.

Alastair entertained the room and delegates got the opportunity to speak to him afterwards during a book signing.

After the formal proceedings it was officially time to relax, and Relax was one of the songs that boomed out onto the dancefloor as the 25th birthday of Denplan was celebrated with the ultimate '80s cheese party. The event was fancy dress and the delegates threw themselves into it wholeheartedly. Being young during the 1980s I don't remember it very well, but apparently that was a good thing judging from some of the costumes on show! I played safe with a Liverpool football top, big perm wig and classic Falkland's War moustache... I would have worn the whole Liverpool kit but seeing how tight the shorts were in those days I decided discretion was the better part of valour. The party saw the appearance of the Ghostbusters, Mick Dundee (with accompanying inflatable crocodile), the Blues Brothers... several Madonnas, a Boy George, an extremely convincing highwayman by the name of Adam Ant, along with, of course, Michael Jackson. There was also a tennis player there who claimed he was the actual John McEnroe – but he could not be serious!

The highlight of the evening was the re-appearance of Steve Gates alongside Denplan's chief dental officer, Roger Matthews, in what I hope were their costumes. If it wasn't then all other payment plan providers should beware as they are up against some of science fiction's most powerful characters. Steve was Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon (with particularly bushy eyebrows) while Roger was Dath Vader from Star Wars. Technically Star Wars was '70s but no one complained at the time, they were too busy trying to moonwalk or show off their skills at the robot dance.

Saturday morning began with the clinical sessions whilst the parallel sessions took place for team members.

Jeffrey Hillman from Florida University was the first speaker in the clinical session. He explained the theory behind bacterial interference and how it could be utilised in dentistry. Genetically modified genes could be placed in the mouth in a simple, painless, five minute procedure and provide protection from tooth decay for life.

After a short break Kevin Lewis, dental director at Dental Protection, began a double presentation on the issue of quality and standards. He was joined by Raj Rattan, a senior dento-legal consultant at Dental Protection, and adviser on The Dentist. Together they reviewed the changes that have occurred during the past 20 years, before looking briefly at what may happen in the future. Raj explained how the dental landscape has evolved and how less of a dentist's time was available for patient care. He then asked how changes in the National Health Service would affect the private sector and questioned the ongoing viability of mixed practices given the proposed changes to the NHS contract.

After lunch the speaker was Steve Head, an energetic Geordie motivational speaker and business coach. During his talk Steve had the audience physically tied together with string handcuffs, telling them they loved one another, listening, laughing, and most importantly – thinking. With a delivery many stand up comics would be envious of Steve spoke in simple terms about why it is good to focus on the positive things in life. Whilst all this was taking place those in the family programme were concentrating on life's treats, with a trip to Cadbury World and ThinkTank organised before a pirate themed party back at the hotel.

With the day's formal proceedings finished, it was time for delegates to don their DJs and dresses for the social event of the evening. While the Friday night may have been a celebration of cheese, the formal events of Saturday evening were at the other end of the class scale. The guests in black-tie attire sipped champagne as a string quartet played in the background to complete the scene. The sumptuous dinner was served in the large marquee before the entertainment of the evening began. The string quartet, String Fever, took centre stage, grabbing the audience and commanding attention. The group, all family members, enthralled members of the audience with 'a history of music in five minutes', engaged them with a musical film quiz, before astounding them with Ravel's Bolero, a performance which saw all four band members playing one cello at the same time!

Following String Fever, a traditional Scottish pipe band marched onto the stage to prepare the way for a fully kilted Sandy Brown, Denplan's director of sales and marketing. He said a few words before leading people outside for a firework display.

Sunday morning again saw a clinical and parallel programme, along with a circus skills workshop for the children on the family programme. Prof Angus Walls, director of the Oral and Dental Research Trust, took the first lecture in the clinical sessions and discussed the changing oral health demands of older patients. Giles Perryer, co-founder of Dental Juice, followed with a presentation on digital innovation in dentistry, and how best to incorporate it into the practice.

The conference finished just before lunch and had proved to be a weekend full of entertainment and relaxation for the delegates, earning them CPD points all the while.