30 years of PAC: “It has been an evolution”

More than 2000 optometrists, dispensing opticians and audiologists attended the Specsavers Professional Advancement Conference (PAC) at the Birmingham International Convention Centre (ICC) on 3 November.

To mark the 30^th anniversary of the event, OT caught up with Specsavers director of professional advancement, Paul Carroll – who has attended every PAC since 1994.

How did PAC start and what was it like at the beginning?

PAC began when Specsavers was still a relatively fledgling business. A group of practice directors, the Professional Advancement Committee, came together to identify gaps in education. We decided to organise an event at the Birmingham International Convention Centre (ICC), and were amazed that 300 people gave up their Sunday to attend.

This was before compulsory education and training (CET) for optometrists. Practitioners might attend lectures or presentations at local optical committee meetings, but the CET that was available in those days was often quite dry. We wanted to organise a fun day out where people could interact with their peers and have a good time – as well as learning. There was an air of excitement at that first event because people knew that this was something different.

At the first PAC we were in Hall 5, with speakers referring to glass slides on carousels. Over the years, we have evolved and attendance has increased, but the ethos of enabling people to enjoy learning has remained constant. The desire to innovate, upskill and broaden horizons has remained consistent all the way through – and will continue to grow.

How has PAC changed over the years?

Over time, we realised that people learn in different ways. Some people might prefer workshops or discussion groups to lectures. We introduced pathways for contact lens opticians and dispensing opticians. The event became even more multi-disciplinary when audiology joined. We have brought in speakers from the US, Canada and Australia. At the first event, we had one stream of didactic lectures – today, we have 14 different streams. Things are changing so fast within the profession that you have to be light on your feet and move quickly. It has been an evolution.

Have there been any unexpected challenges?

During the pandemic lockdown, we didn’t have a face-to-face event. We organised online education instead. In terms of in-person events, we have been at the Birmingham ICC every year – with one exception.

In 1998, we were booked to hold PAC at the ICC, but in the fine print there was a condition that the Birmingham City Council could duck out of the booking if an international event were to occur. That year we were pipped by the G8 Summit and held PAC at the Leeds Playhouse.

What do you think is valuable about PAC for practitioners who attend?

You can get your required continuing professional development points through online events – and that clearly has its place – but there is no doubt that interacting face-to-face with your peers and colleagues is a much richer experience. The conversations at the margins of the event add to that. When you have so many people under one roof, there is a buzz about the place.