For those who’ve not attended in the past, SPVS is a not-for-profit organisation for everyone within the veterinary industry – including equine vets - providing a wide range of advice, guidance and support for its members. Their 2024 Congress is taking place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole from 9.00am on 25 January to 4.15pm on 27 January 2024 and has been developed for all members of the practice team to help ensure practices are happy, sustainable, profitable and productive places to work.
Your ticket
The full event ticket price includes a 2-course hot buffet lunch and refreshments throughout the day on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the event. Day tickets are also available if you can’t take the full time out of practice. Attending all three days of the event, and accessing the recordings of the sessions you weren’t able to watch live, provides you with over 33 hours CPD.
Simply add BE10-cong24 at checkout to receive a 10% discount on your congress pass AND social tickets. Bring the whole team and get an automatic further 15% group discount too.
What to expect
The programme offers concurrent streams of non-clinical lectures based on an overarching theme of ‘Smarter Working. Better Outcomes’. These will provide you with a mixture of in-practice case studies and practical steps you can start to implement as soon as you get home. Congress will be opened by Olympic rower and marginal gains expert Cath Bishop, and the programme will also include a Vet Times Big 6 debate on AI in the veterinary profession. The ‘mix and match’ programme will focus on the following key areas, and includes fantastic speakers from within the veterinary profession and beyond:
• Grow your Business – a dedicated day on Saturday for those considering starting up or expanding their business, including advice on premises, measuring profitability, building a great practice culture and future proofing your business.
• Practice Management – with sessions on enhancing practice efficiencies, digital marketing, retaining Gen Z and supporting members returning to work
• Business Management – including sessions on smarter pricing and navigating recent changes in employment law
• Team Dynamics – to help you grow together as a practice team, this stream offers thriving with a neurodivergent team, collaboration & delegation and the Human Factors approach to veterinary life
• Leadership – this stream covers relationship-building, feedback and becoming an aspirational leader
• Self-Development – join this stream for sessions to help boost your career, including reputation-building, resilience, time management and career development
In addition, interactive workshops will cover a range of diverse topics such as improving practice culture, flexible working, coaching, wellbeing, workplace equity and improving productivity.
Click here for full the full programme.
Exhibition
Joining the event in the exhibition hall will be a wide variety of suppliers offering invaluable advice and support including:
• H&S and employment law advice
• Marketing and client communications
• PMS providers
• Financial services and insurance providers
• IT services
• Recruitment services
• Training
• Pharmaceutical products
Social programme, team bonding and networking
It’s not just lectures that SPVS Congress offers, their fun packed social programme includes a Thursday afternoon Happy Hour with a free drinks token, Thursday evening musical bingo and buffet night, and Friday night President’s Party including a sparkling reception, 3-course meal and one of the UK’s best party bands. Catch up with old friends, make new and put the world to rights – attendees will include veterinary professionals from a wide range of practice types and roles.
In addition to these events, simply taking time out of practice to relax and communicate as a team can be priceless. Spending quality time with colleagues in a relaxed environment – time you may never seem to have when in practice – allows you to return to practice reinvigorated and ready to thrive.
Location
SPVS Congress 2024 will be returning to the centrally-located Hilton Birmingham Metropole, with great transport links meaning quick and hassle free travel. Just off the M42, the hotel is easily reached from all corners of Great Britain. The event will take place all under the one roof of the hotel, including all lectures, the exhibition hall, the social events, and enough bedrooms for all attendees to stay on site.
Pricing
In today’s uncertain economic climate, we all know budgets are tight and every penny spent has to be carefully considered. In addition, in today’s time-poor veterinary practices, where staff are over stretched and every minute is accounted for, taking time out can seem a luxury you cannot afford. However, with the fantastic deals on offer, the SPVS Congress offers real value for money, and ensures that taking time out of practice will make a real difference to you all.
Click here for full details and to register.