If anyone ever had any doubts that the optical fraternity didn’t know how to party then the Optician Awards last Saturday night laid that fallacy to rest.
Nearly 600 guests from optometry thronged into the Monarch Suite of the Hilton Birmingham Metropole to be wined, dined and entertained before finding out the winners of the 2007 Optician Awards (see news). And what a party they had.
As well as providing a welcome rest after a hard day at Optrafair, the Awards night has also become a fantastic networking and community building bash. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the sponsors for supporting the awards, all of the judges for helping us choose the winners but most of all the practices who entered. Optician is happy to lay on a party to celebrate excellence within eye care but without quality entries it wouldn’t carry the kudos it does.
Those entries are based on the hard work and dedication that takes place, week in and week out, around the country. Not everyone can take home a trophy. Practitioners like Frederick McShaw, the Hollands in Cheltenham and practices such as Goodlooking Optics in Enfield and Webb & Lucas in Stafford can be proud of their place on a shortlist.
Saturday night was a celebration of their efforts too.