True to its mission, APAN launched their first conference program for ththe year in Adelaide on Sunday 26 May with the theme

“Understanding the new Era of Aesthetics”.

The event was well supported from salons and clinics from the region as well as from other States as eager therapists participated, including WA, Darwin, Queensland, Sydney and Victoria. Industry professionals networked among themselves and also forged some good relationships with skincare and equipment companies, who were also represented through a small exhibition.

These niche conference programs were introduced by APAN in 2009 and have grown from one State per year to three in 2013 with the new name Australian Aesthetic Conference. APAN's objective for these events is to energise the industry through quality, education with a special focus on generic content that delegates can use to benchmark their professional and business decisions. All professional industries conduct generic conference programs, but the aesthetics industry predominantly offers supplier training events and, while these are valuable, their objective is focused on the products they have developed. This often leaves a gap in the area of broader information that is also important for any professional or business owner.

The APAN conference therefore provide the opportunity to present information of global changes, educational options, changes in industry legislation and technology as well as scientific developments that will effect our industry.

The testimonies and feedback were very positive, with many stating that the program helped them gain a greater understanding on the industry's direction that gave them greater clarity and a new perspective of their options and possibilities.

eventreport

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APAN's Adelaide Australian Aesthetics

Conference

A Great Success!

“It is such testimonials that are so rewarding and make the hard work that goes into s t a g i n g t h e s e e v e n t s worthwhile,” Tina Viney confirmed. “If we can save businesses in this economic climate and re-energise them with new tools and passion, we would have achieved an impor t an t pa r t o f ou r mission.”

True to his form, Terry Everitt once again was the MC of the conference program, bringing a level of dignity and profess iona l i sm to the program and adding his expert knowledge when presenting the various topics and speakers.

Tina Viney was the first speaker. She presented global research data and an overview of key drivers that will bring changes to the industry. She shared global predictions in skincare and technology and discussed how these will i m p a c t t h e A u s t r a l i a n aesthetic industry.

Tina also defined strategy and discussed how strategic intent can be used as a tool to navigate through change and challenges (a brief outline of this lecture is presented in Tina industry report on pages 50-56).

C a r o l i n e N e l s o n t h e n challenged delegates on the importance of embracing change and moving with the times to implement business systems and strategies that will help them gain the competitive advantage and grow their client base and profitability. She stressed the importance of identifying what no longer works and present new approaches that businesses could immediately implement to turn things around.

Gay Wardle discussed why treatments with IPL/Laser and other technologies are not reaching the mark and the value and importance of proper training in gaining a comprehensive understanding, not only of the new technologies, but also how they effect the skin. She identified new areas of knowledge and training that the industry needs to invest in if they are to meet the growing demands of a changing consumer market.

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Michael Bishop addressed the highly contentious issue of the law and pitfalls to avoid with Independent Contractors w h e n d e t e r m i n i n g employment options. He shared some amazing court outcomes and fines that many businesses are facing because of a misunderstanding of the law. This lecture brought home certain facts that allowed businesses to re-think their approach on this subject and offered a great deal of food for thought.

Dr Chris t ine Houghton discussed how external ageing can be influenced through internal inflammation, and how the new science of nutrigenomics utilises the power of food-der ived biomolecules that are capable of “switching on” certain genes associated with cellular health, support disease prevention and speed up cellular recovery. Mark Viney p r e sen t ed e m e rg i n g n e w a n d h i g h l y - e f f e c t i v e communication technologies and demonstrated how they can be used to grow a business's

database, fill in appointment gaps and create a better client/salon relationship and loyalty.

While the conference program presented a great deal of thought-provoking information, delegates were also recipients of several lucky door prizes and each delegate was able to select a wine of their choice from a c o l l e c t i o n o f s u p e r b Willowglen wines from the local Barossa Valley and the

vineyards of De Bortoli boutique wines.

The next APAN Australian Aesthetic Conference will be

thheld in Sydney on 26 August. A full report will be presented in the next issue of APJ.

If you have never attended these events you will have the

rdopportunity to attend the 3 conference for the year on the Gold Coast. See pages 24-26 for further details. These are fully certified Professional Development events. To register visit www.apanetwork.com

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As a Strategic Alliance Partner, Kharis offer APAN members a discount.