Visionary Annual Conference 2023

#VisionaryConference23

Visionary were delighted to welcome hundreds of delegates from across the UK to our flagship conference in September 2023. 

Colleagues from across the Visionary network joined us at the Visionary Annual Conference on 27 and 28 September 2023.  Once again, the atmosphere throughout the event was supportive, welcoming, and engaging.  We returned to Conference Aston, Birmingham for this year’s event and were joined by over 230 delegates and exhibitors from 137 organisations, representing local members, national partners, exhibitors, and corporate sponsors.

 The conference opened with an outstanding panel session with Marsha de Cordova, MP, Sam Latif, Procter & Gamble’s first company accessibility leader and England’s National Clinical Director for Eye Care, Louisa Wickham  delivering emotional, honest and inspiring speeches which truly set the tone for the rest of the event.

Fiona Sandford, Visionary CEO, at the Visionary Annual Conference “Our flagship conference is an opportunity for everyone to come together to share ideas and best practice, go to workshops and listen to keynote speakers and celebrate their achievements,’ says Fiona Sandford, Visionary’s chief executive officer. “It was incredibly powerful to hear Marsha de Cordova MP talk about how she’s translated her personal experience of being visually impaired since childhood into direct action.

“Sam Latif spoke very powerfully about her own experiences of blindness, including her challenges navigating the world with a double buggy and a long cane. Louisa Whickham offered her interesting and knowledgeable clinical perspective on making sight loss pathways better and easier to navigate for people by making them more joined up.”

Fiona Sandford added: “Celebrating the essential role of community-based organisations supporting people with sight loss live well was another highlight from the conference, and these fantastic achievements were recognised during our annual awards ceremony.”

Winners included:
• Focus Birmingham: Connect and Collaborate Award, Sponsored by RNIB
• Look UK: Develop and Share Award, Sponsored by Guide Dogs UK
• My Sight York: Children and Young People Award, Sponsored by The Powell Family Foundation
• Seescape: Community Impact Award, Sponsored by Specsavers

Throughout the event our delegates were able to connect with colleagues, old and new, from across the Visionary network. Along with sharing their work and developing new ideas through inspiring workshops and panel sessions.  Delegates also joined a discussion panel with representatives from the VI Charity Sector Partnership.

The Visionary Annual Conference is now a highly valued date in the calendar for members and partners to come together to share ideas and best practice, to attend a range of workshops and celebrate their achievements – all made possible with the fabulous support of our sponsors and supporters, thank you to everyone who made it happen!

Read more about this year’s workshops, exhibitors and sponsors below.  We are now busy planning the 2024 event – so save the date in your diary:  Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 September 2024.