Practice Plan are back at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show and will once again be programming the Dental Business Theatre. This year’s theatre is themed ‘The BIG Questions’! Events and Marketing Coordinator Sophie Noble caught up with one of the hosts, Les Jones, to find out more about what you can expect…
SN: You’re taking it in turns to host the Dental Business Theatre this year alongside Nigel Jones, can you explain a little bit about what will be happening in the theatre?
LJ: This year we’ve decided to do something a little different – we’re hosting a number of panel discussions around the biggest questions affecting the dental business at the moment. For each session we’ll have a panel made up of experts in their field who will tackle a mix of pre-sent questions and live questions from the audience. We’ll be covering a range of topics from ‘HR and Employment Law’ to the ‘The Future of Dentistry’.
SN: Sounds exciting! Which session are you most looking forward to and why?
LJ: I think for me it would be ‘What Next for NHS Dentistry?’ The new contract is set to be rolled out in 2020 and for many NHS contract holders it is a time of confusion and uncertainty and, we know from our own research, that many are seriously considering whether they have a future in NHS dentistry. In this session, the audience will be able to ask a panel of experts including Eddie Crouch, Tony Kilcoyne and Paul Worskett their burning questions on the future of NHS Dentistry and how the new contract might work.
SN: I have a ‘big question’ for you! How do you feel about taking on a panel of experts? Will you be able to control them?
LJ: Excited and nervous at the same time! I’ll need to get my best David Dimbleby head on to try and stay in control. I think the biggest challenge will be managing time – I know that all of our panellists will have a lot to say, so my brief is to make sure everyone gets roughly the same amount of airtime and we get through as many questions as possible in each session.
SN: What do you think will be the standout moment of this year’s theatre?
LJ: I think that’s difficult to predict and it will probably be something unpredictable that will deliver the stand-out moment. A lively contribution from a member of the audience, an unexpected passionate rant from one of the panellists, perhaps even a strong disagreement between two parties on a particular issue – who knows?
That’s what makes the theatre so exciting this year! Nothing is scripted and the audience can help drive the agenda so the sessions could take many unexpected twists and turns…strap yourselves in!
SN: Let’s have a random one to finish…if you could ask any celebrity one ‘big question’ – who would it be and what would you ask?
LJ: I’m a big fan of David Bowie and I would have loved to have sat with him for a while to ask him about his career, his creative processes and the meaning behind many of his songs. He was, without doubt, a genius and his music and creativity have had a big influence on me.
Les Jones will be hosting the Dental Business Theatre presents ‘The Big Questions’ alongside Nigel Jones at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show on 17th and 18th May 2019 at the NEC in Birmingham. For full details of the programme click here.