Nadine Dilong We spent the past weekend at the Non-Surgical Symposium on the Gold Coast; Editor Nadine Dilong shares her experience:
The NSS is one of the conferences I look forward to most every year, and so I was especially excited this time as it had been three whole years (due to the pandemic) since I attended the Non-Surgical Symposium in person. Organised by the incredible team at The Production House Events, this conference is big: Over 600 delegates, and just under 100 exhibitors made their way to the Gold Coast Convention Centre on June 3-5 to learn, connect, and celebrate the symposium’s 10th anniversary.
The line-up of speakers was incredible, including several practitioners from overseas, such as Dr Tahl Humes, Dr Richard Chaffoo, and Dr Simon Ravichandran, but it was the opening and closing panels that were my favourite. Scientific Convenor of NSS, Dr Naveen Somia joined past and present ASAPS Presidents and NSS Convenors, including: Dr Niamh Corduff, Dr Craig Layt, Dr Steven Liew, Dr Gabrielle Caswell, Dr Scott Ingram, Dr Mark Magnusson, Dr Tim Papadopoulos, and Prof Greg Goodman, to share the NSS’s legacy, and a look at how the industry has changed in the past 10 years, as well as a guessing look into the future.
Huge advancements in technology were mentioned, as well as a very welcome trend towards collaboration, rather than defragmentation. And that’s exactly what the NSS is about, bringing together practitioners from different aspects of the industry, and encouraging them to share their knowledge for the betterment of the industry as a whole. Trust and transparency was one of the main focuses at the conference, and something close to ASAPS President Dr Robert Sheen’s heart, as he explained in an exclusive interview with SPA+CLINIC:
“It’s important that clients and patients trust the service you provide, they need to trust the technology and the people delivering that technology. And a way to achieve this is transparency, to be completely upfront about what your qualifications are, what your experience is, what symposiums you go to, what problems you’ve had in the past. One of the benefits of the NSS is that we recognise we’re a community of likeminded professionals. And the networking opportunities we provide allows you to learn from other people and open your hearts to other people, which builds trust with the community.”
Dr Naveen Somia added that “this industry was an emerging industry a few years ago, and now it is a mature industry, so if you want to join this industry now, your skillset has to be at a certain level, so it is really important for people to upskill. We have an interest in raising the standards constantly based on evidence-based research and technology.”
We have an interest in raising the standards constantly based on evidence-based research and technology.
Dr Naveen Somia
And upskill is what people did, learning about new technologies, such as the Artis hair restoration robot, the latest in body contouring, new injecting techniques, and how to minimise risk and adverse events. But it wouldn’t be NSS without grand social events. The welcome drinks event on Friday night was Greek-themed and saw hundreds of delegates enjoy a drink and delicious Mediterranean food, while the sold-out Gala Dinner on Saturday night took us on a journey to Arabian Nights, including fire dancers and a real-life Python.
My personal highlight? The warm and collegial feeling throughout the weekend – the community that conferences like the NSS build should not be underestimated, and I certainly can’t wait to attend next year’s NSS in Brisbane.
Watch my interview with Dr Robert Sheen and Dr Naveen Somia below, and enjoy a glimpse into NSS in pictures taken by Organic Photo:
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