In focus: Overcoming fears

Optical practice teams and optical suppliers gathered at the Telford International Centre on December 2-3 for the Hakim Group’s annual retreat. Nearly 1,500 eye care professionals and people from the optical industry attended the conference, exhibition and awards weekend, and raised over £1,600 for Vision Aid.

The event opened with a video narrated by actor Liam Neeson that touched on the conference themes of fear and courage. Imran Hakim, CEO of Hakim Group (pictured below, right), welcomed attendees to the first day of the conference and promised an uplifting and engaging weekend.

He said the Hakim Group class of 2023 was about to reach a total of 400, including the optical practices set to join in the first quarter of the new year. Hakim then focused on the intrinsic link between fear and courage before asking the audience what scared them. He said humans were born with two innate fears, falling and loud sounds, and all other fears were gained through experiences.