According to feedback from dental professionals who attended a recent business seminar, the intensive evening workshop met all its objectives, as well as providing a great platform for networking.

The seminar which was devised to help dentists become more commercially focused in the way they run their practices, as well as planning for the future was attended by dental professionals from both the east and west Midlands.

Amongst the experts that joined forces to deliver the intensive evening workshop, which took place at the Hilton Warwick Hotel, was legal firm Alsters Kelley and Lloyds TSB Commercial.

Other seminar partners included accountancy practice TGFP and Smith & Williamson Financial Services who each presented compelling case studies to help delegates with the commercial challenges that face all dentists in today's highly competitive climate. 

Presentation content included hot topics such as tax efficiency and tax mitigation, planning and investment for retirement, practice acquisition, surgery development and the full gamut of financial advice. 

Dentist Joanna Stock, who practices in Northamptonshire, found the seminar informative as well as providing a forum for meeting really useful professional contacts. She said:"For me it was an opportunity for, if you like, comparing the market.

"I think forging a potential relationship with any financial or legal person has to be viewed as a very personal one. It was good to be able to have an informal chat with certain professionals, before I made that important decision to actually make an appointment to go along to see them."

Joanna is considering buying into the practice where she currently works and therefore found the seminar really pertinent to her circumstances.

"Raising finance in today's competitive climate seems to be quite difficult, particularly where the multi-site investors are constantly looking to expand their portfolios. They obviously have a lot more financial gravitas than independents, in a similar position to myself, wanting to buy into a practice. So I found parts of the seminar relating to the legal and financial aspects of acquisition, really informative.

"It also made me think about the future, and therefore the pension and retirement planning session was most enlightening. One thing that all dental practitioners have in common is that time is precious, so to have access to a range of business professionals under one roof in one evening was fantastic."