Veterinary Associations

VPMA/SPVS Congress 2015 a sell out!

vetreportJanuary 29, 2015

Over 470 delegates, of which most were either Practice Managers or Practice Owners attended the third combined VPMA/SPVS Congress on 23 and 24 January at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales. Many practices brought several members of their teams and in total over 200 different practices were represented.

Over two days, an impressive line-up of speakers from the UK and overseas and from inside and outside the veterinary profession offered insights into management, marketing and business for veterinary practice. Speakers from outside the industry included TV Presenter, Expedition Leader, Leadership Trainer and ex-Royal Marine, Monty Halls who opened Congress with an inspirational talk on the importance of pushing your own personal boundaries. Psychiatrist, broadcaster and journalist, Dr Max Pemberton presented a comprehensive and accessible guide to mental health problems for vets and managers. Celtic Manor’s own head of 5 Star Service Delivery, Michael Pagnotta, explained how they ensure all their staff operate to the same consistently high level of service provision and Ian McKelvie, CEO of top US Consultancy, Becauz, presented a number of high energy, interactive, leadership and management sessions.

A debate on Friday evening, run along the lines of BBC’s Question Time, included Nick Stace, CEO of the RCVS and Mark Welch, Main Board Director and Operations Manager of Vets4Pets/Companion Care on the panel. Questions ranged from Out of Hours service provision to work life balance and how the profession might change as more woman move into ownership.
Congress sold out this year with a waiting list of both delegates and exhibitors. Congress attendees were able to meet with 60 leading suppliers, many launching new business and management-related products and services. With digital CRM tools for driving client interaction to team-training platforms, practice front and back-ends were well-catered for.
The following quotes from delighted delegates and exhibitors suggest that this event, where the practice team comes together, is now firmly positioned as one of the most popular in the UK veterinary calendar:
‘Great Lectures, lovely venue, opportunity to meet with business reps’
‘The biggest problem was choosing between lecture streams with so much excellent and relevant content’
‘Banquet on Friday night was absolutely brilliant!’
‘For an exhibitor, there were high quality leads and a well targeted audience of decision makers’’
‘No other Congress delivers this quality of delegates and intimacy all under one roof’

Photographs are now available to view and download at www.spvs-vpma-events.co.uk along with slides from the congress speakers. For further details, call Keystone on 01453 872731.