ORLANDO, Fla. — When North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) CEO Gene O’Neill took the stage during the Veterinary Meeting and ExhibitionAt the opening ceremony of the VMX (Veterinary Annual Congress) on January 14, there was one key difference from previous editions of the annual veterinary conference: a record crowd of attendees.
The VMX is organized by the NAVC, and 2023 was a milestone year for the event in several areas. Not only did the VMX break its attendance record—O’Neill estimates that when the final numbers are tallied, nearly 29,000 people will have attended the 2023 VMX—but at the opening ceremony, O’Neill also announced three initiatives aimed at positioning the NAVC and VMX for continued success in the future.
First of all, VMX will maintain its 40th The early bird registration fee for VMX 2024 is now $125 for the conference’s 40th anniversary. To boost attendance, the conference introduced an early bird registration fee of $125, the same as it was 40 years ago when the conference began. In the years leading up to 2023, the average early bird registration fee was $525. This strategy has been successful, as evidenced by the record number of attendees in 2023, and O’Neill anticipates increased revenue from sponsors and exhibitors in the future due to the higher attendance numbers.
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The second initiative announced will introduce new programming for NAVC in the form of pop-up events. These educational opportunities, which will complement VMX, will feature more streamlined and targeted content designed for the communities where the events will be held. Pop-up event topics will cover a wide range of topics, including recruitment and staffing, mental health, career development and other veterinary team member needs, and business operations. This initiative, in addition to the reduced registration fee for VMX, will help NAVC provide continuing education opportunities to previously underserved parts of the broader veterinary community.
“We believe we are leaders in this space and we continue to innovate and do things that our community really needs and wants. We provide them with educational services and make it possible for them to come to VMX through our competitive pricing. This year alone, we welcomed over 9,500 new attendees to VMX, so we know our strategy is working,” said O’Neill.
The final initiative announced at VMX is NAVC’s all-new sustainability program. O’Neill says VMX’s expansion played a big role in the decision to implement the initiative. “As we continue to grow, we understand that we need to do it responsibly,” he said. Not only will NAVC work with event partners, including hotels and venues, to offset the carbon impact of its events, but the organization also plans to promote the sustainability initiative within the veterinary community itself. Over the coming year, NAVC will focus on establishing a baseline from which carbon reduction goals can be derived going forward.
The 2021 edition of VMX won the Grand Prize for Best Use of Technology in 2021 at the Trade Show Executive Gold 100 Awards & Summit. VMX 2024 will take place January 13-17 in Orlando, Florida.
Contact Gene O’Neill at (352) 375-5672