BEVA is delighted to announce that its 2008 Congress will be held in the European Capital of Culture 2008, Liverpool.

From Penny Lane to Haydock Park
Liverpool is, of course, best known for The Beatles, but the city has so much more to offer (although a Beatles Tour is probably compulsory!) with its world-famous waterfront, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and more historic buildings and monuments than any other UK city outside London. Having undergone a dramatic transformation to coincide with its 800th birthday in 2007, Liverpool boasts outstanding art galleries and museums, including the Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum, and not one but two cathedrals of signficant architectural importance. The city’s restaurants, bars and cafes offer a huge choice, whatever your tastes and budget – from a relaxed lunch on the waterfront to a Michelin-starred dining experience.

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle, you can visit the seaside resort of Southport (often named the ‘Paris of the North’) or the breathtaking Wirral Penisula. For sport enthusiasts, Wirral is also home to the internationally renowned Royal Liverpool Golf Course, and just a short canter from the UK’s most visited racecourse, Haydock Park.

Getting there
Liverpool is easily accessible by road and rail – just two hours from London on the Virgin Pendolino train service. For international visitors, Liverpool John Lennon Airport is seven miles from the city centre and has regular scheduled flights from destinations around Europe, and direct flights from New York and Toronto.

Congress itself takes place at the brand new Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool, Europe’s most environmentally-friendly conference centre, designed to produce half the CO2 emissions of a traditional building. The ACC harvests rainwater on its roof and has its own wind farm. The state-of-the-art internal space includes a 3725sq metre hall and 18 meeting rooms.

Scientific Programme
The Scientific Programme retains many of the successful features of previous Congresses with parallel sessions of the best equine CPD available anywhere in the world, all strongly focussed on the equine practitioner.  The John Hickman Lecture will be given by the world-renowned equine neurologist, Professor Joe Mayhew of Massey University.  New for 2008 is the inclusion of the Sir Frederick Hobday Lecture, which will be held at Congress rather than at the December Clinical Workshop, and will be given by Dean Richardson from the University of Pennsylvania.

We will continue with the successful “State of the Art” reviews where experts in their fields review the essential “must know” information that has appeared over the last 12 months. The use of electronic voting proved very successful in 2007 and will be extended in 2008.  This makes sessions truly interactive and allows delegates to determine the direction of panel discussions. The programme has themes that run for half or full days, which helps delegates to make the most of their time at Congress, especially those only able to attend for one day.

As in previous years there will be a day of lectures dedicated to equine nurses, utilising the wealth of knowledge and experience of the equine experts present at Congress. All in all, there will be something for everyone, with sessions for students, new graduates and experienced practitioners.

Clinical Research Sessions
These ever popular sessions (formerly known as Free Communications) run parallel to the main Scientific Programme on all three days of Congress, and provide the best opportunity to hear the latest developments in clinical science direct from the investigators. In most cases the research is brand new and presented to Congress delegates as much as 12-18 months before it appears in the scientific journals.

Social Programme
The social element of BEVA Congress is, for many delegates, as important as the science, providing unique opportunities for professional networking as well as catching up with old friends, and Liverpool’s legendary nightspots will make for another oustanding social programme.

The President’s Reception on the Wednesday evening - always an informal and fun event, looks to Morocco for its inspiration, and promises to be a colourful evening of food, music and dance, and yes, there will be belly dancing! Hang on to your fez! The Annual Dinner Dance on Friday will, as ever, be a sumptuous black tie evening with a cocktail reception, dinner, live music and dancing into the small hours. At the Farewell Dinner on Saturday night, we celebrate Liverpool’s most famous sons at the most famous club in the world – The Cavern Club. Here the UK’s top Beatles Tribute band will take you back to those heady nights when the Merseybeat scene began.

For Further information, together with a more detailed description of the Scientific Programme please see the attachment below.