Optix Conference

Much has happened since we last gathered at The Celtic Manor in March 2023, not least of all when Optix joined the Evex group last summer. As the saying goes, everything changes but everything stays the same. 

Our development team has expanded very significantly over the last year and Optix 2 is set to become the group’s new pan-European software platform. In time this will be rolled out to over 8,000 sites. 

For our seventh visit to The Celtic Manor, our Optix presentations will be focused on Optix 2 and the exciting new features we will release at conference. 

Our agenda balances Optix content with external speakers who can inspire, motivate, and entertain. We have a diverse lineup with James Corden booked as our keynote to close the conference. 

Bruce Dickinson will no doubt explain how he  lives a double life combining his role as the lead singer in Iron Maiden, with a high-achieving business career. Only a few weeks after our conference, Iron Maiden will be starting their 50th Anniversary World Tour which will keep Bruce busy through until 2026. 

If you’d like to learn more about either Bruce Dickinson, or Tim Harford, then both have Ted talks available online that are well worth watching. 

Finally, Gyles Brandreth will once again be hosting the whole event. 

• Bruce Dickinson – From Rock Star to Businessman, turning Customers into Fans.

• Gyles Brandreth – A fabulous host throughout the conference.

Booking is now open. For more details on the packages and to secure your place, click Book Now.

This year saw us demoing our progress with Optix 2. The team switched between displays to show the features working simultaneously on a desktop web browser and on an iPad.

We took the audience through the new diary, patient records and till, along with all the enhancements we’ve made. We also showed the next generation of Direct Debits which allows a greater deal of flexibility and will be solely available in Optix 2.

Conference is a great chance for us to get feedback, and that’s what we did in our Clinical prototype session. We’d been working with a group of Optometrists and Dispensers to re-imagine the Clinical and Dispensing features for Optix 2. We showed prototypes of the direction which were well received and gave the team feedback to work with.

There were also exciting updates for our Business Intelligence app, Audix and the new Electronic Referrals system. 

We also demoed our new webhook offering for those users with development teams who want to be able to integrate with Optix. 

The entertainment started with the fantastic Supreme Queen Cabaret Show, accompanied by a well deserved dinner and great selection of wines. We hosted our infamous Champagne Reception on the last evening. Once seated, guests could take part in wine tasting over the course of dinner. Then straight to the dance floor to dance to the fantastic band, The Capricorns.

Our chosen charity was ‘SeeAbility’ for our charity appeal. We were joined by some members of the team to  hear about their work which was emotional and inspiring. We once again raised a tremendous amount for a fabulous charity thanks to the donations from our users and sponsors, along with Trevor matching every pound donated.

• Steven Bartlett – A fascinating insight into his life and achievements so far.

• Gyles Brandreth – A fabulous host throughout the conference.

During lockdown our Managing Director, Trevor Rowley, worked with a group of Optix users who wanted to move to a 100% private business model. Four of them joined Trevor on stage to talk about their findings, experience and advice on; reviewing your pricing model, communication to patients and staff, what to do when over 90% of your patients are NHS and evaluating whether your practice is up to standard.

We shared our vision for Optix 2. A re-imagined Optix but in a web browser which would allow you to use this on a tablet. We shared some early designs and the first few pages for feedback and the response was great. Our team went home with plenty to think about!

We also launched our new stocktake app, which brought relief to many of our users. Early pilots before conference had gone well and users were pleased with how quick and easy it now was to do a stocktake. The new stocktake app works on a mobile device and can be done by multiple staff simultaneously to speed things up even more.

Our updated online appointment booking platform, MySight, had been released prior to conference, but we took the opportunity to show the audience the enhancements we had made along with some powerful new integrations with recall. 

We shared the news that our Business Intelligence suite would be getting some updates and we had recruited a team to work on this.

Lastly, we took the audience through our work so far on being able to facilitate Audiology patients in Optix. We’d been working with a group of Audiologists prior to conference and our team had been working hard to build a sophisticated integration with NOAH and we would be inviting people to pilot this soon.

The entertainment started with an after dinner speech by our fantastic host, Gyles Brandreth. The audience enjoyed his tales and jokes whilst sampling a great selection of wines. We hosted our infamous Champagne Reception on the last evening. Once seated, guests could take part in wine tasting over the course of dinner. Then straight to the dance floor to dance to the fantastic band, Coverland.

Our chosen charity was ‘Walking with the Wounded’ for our charity appeal. Duncan Slater, one of our amazing speakers, had first hand knowledge of the impact this charity has, and it was inspiring to hear him talk about the work they do. We once again raised a tremendous amount for a fabulous charity thanks to the donations from our users and sponsors, along with Trevor matching every pound donated. 

• Piers Morgan – His story from being the youngest Editor of the News of the World to one of the most controversial presenters.

• Gyles Brandreth – A fabulous host throughout our conference.