Bang for your bucks: making the most of live events

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the live veterinary CPD programme, with many long standing events either cancelled, postponed or moved online.

But with King COVID’s reign of terror seemingly drawing to a close – in the UK at least – 2022 looks like being the time when many vets, nurses and other practice professionals decide to dust off their rucksacks and their sensible shoes, and get back into the mix.

And there is certainly plenty to look forward to. Following on from last year’s well-attended London Vet Show (LVS), a raft of live and hybrid events are coming down the tracks in the next few months, including BSAVA Congress, BVA Live, SPVS-VMG Congress and Vet Festival.

So, with restrictions easing and so much to get stuck into, VBJ spoke to some of the BSAVA Congress team to discover what’s planned and how delegates can make the most of this and the other live learning events.

Ringing the changes

After being cancelled in 2020 and morphing into a digital-only event for 2021, BSAVA Congress returns to its traditional live and “in-person” format for 2022 – albeit supported by an interactive digital platform, too.

But congress will not be returning to its traditional Birmingham home, as the three-day event is moving north and will for the first time be held at the Manchester Central venue from 24 to 26 March.

This will allow lectures and the exhibition to be held under one roof for the first time, but a new home is only the start.

Paul Higgs, programme committee chair for BSAVA Congress 2022, said: “When I took on the position of programme chair in 2019, I was informed that my first congress (2021) would be the inaugural congress in Manchester. My remit was to try to reinvent the wheel while keeping the bits that makes the experience at BSAVA so recognisable.

“The format at Birmingham had been the same for a long time, and we wanted to modernise how we provide education to our delegates and to really set out our stall as still being the leading small animal conference in the UK.

“Although COVID-19 meant we had a bit of a false start, the amazing virtual congress in 2021 forced some changes to format (short, paired lectures with extended Q&A) that showed that we, as a profession, are ready to receive education and interact with it in a way that hasn’t been done before. These lessons were invaluable in the further development of the new format.

“In summary, rather than each room housing a single ‘stream’ all day, with one lecture after another, our educational spaces will be defined by the type of educational delivery that the delegate can expect in that space.”

Memorable learning

This year’s congress will feature three “standard” lecture rooms hosting paired 15-minute lectures delivered by speakers from different disciplines covering the same subject, followed by a 20-minute Q&A.

There will also be an interactive lecture room and a room dedicated to discussion and debate sessions. Most modules will have one or more of these sessions, in which a panel of contributors will present different points of view on hot or controversial topics.

Congress 2022 will also feature a “day in the life” drama room, drop-in practicals, “cytology corner”, an x-ray reading room as well as 30-minute “meet the speaker” sessions throughout the event.

Paul added: “By moving away from long periods of non-interactive lecture content, we hope that the delegates will experience a renewed energy for learning and find that the whole experience provides continuous, but memorable learning and great opportunity for reflection and processing.

“I believe that the changes we have made to the programme could revolutionise our expectations of how we receive CPD in the future.”

Exhibition experience

BSAVA Congress will offer a total of 105 live CPD hours, plus a further 20 hours of on-demand content for delegates to top up their knowledge online – but live learning is not just about the lecture programme.

Congress boasts one of the biggest exhibitions of any veterinary event in Europe, and BSAVA president Sheldon Middleton believes delegates can get a whole lot more from the exhibitors than just the odd freebie. He said: “I think the exhibition is my favourite part of congress.

“Over the years, I have got more and more of my CPD in the exhibition over the rest of congress. The exhibitors will be subject experts in their own products, and it’s a great opportunity to get individualised CPD from them. They are able to tailor their advice to suit you and your practice, as these conversations tend to be on a one-to-one basis rather than to a large group audience like the other CPD.

“You also have the opportunity to discuss things alongside your colleagues, which can be invaluable.”

The value attached to the exhibition is evidenced in part by the move to the Manchester Central venue where – like LVS – lectures and the exhibition will be held under one roof.

Sheldon added: “The exhibition is hugely important and the integration of the exhibition is probably my highlight. The venue is an old railway station and it is a stunning setting for it and will set it off perfectly. The incorporation of exhibition-specific lecture theatres will also be great.”

Digital delegates

Congress 2021 was held exclusively online and learnings from the event’s digital debut have been incorporated for 2022.

Former BSAVA president Ian Ramsey said: “Last year’s event taught us a lot about how to get the online platform working for everyone – delegates, speakers and our industry partners.

“Our BSAVA Congress platform has the ability to allow one-to-one conversations, but also great chat room functionality. These were a huge plus last year and we will be organising things in a similar way this time. A dedicated group of volunteers supplying social media content worked really well and is something that we will want to build on this year.

“Uptake of the traditional recorded webinars was also good, so we will continue with these for those topics that require a longer time or more discussion by the speaker.”

Like many other events due to take place this year, BSAVA Congress 2022 is using a hybrid format. This not only means digital delegates don’t miss out – it also gives those attending in person news ways of engaging with congress.

A hybrid future?

Ian added: “A hybrid event gives delegates the chance to digest content in their own way, at their own pace and at a time and place to suit them, but married with that all-important face-to-face interaction with speakers, other delegates and industry representatives during the live event, which provide the stimulus for further learning.”

Ian clearly believes that hybrid events are here to stay. He added: “In the next five years, universities will graduate large cohorts of students who have become used to a high percentage of online provision for the education and can use this effectively.

“Well before the pandemic started, lectures were made available to students as online recordings and many students took advantage of this. When the pandemic is over, the universities are not likely to turn the clock back, but to continue to make progress towards providing content in multiple different ways that are easy to suit the learning styles of students.

“Students tell us that they like the ability to stop a lecture and rewind it, to take the lecture when and where it is suitable, and this is why the conference industry will have to provide online content with their congresses. Equally, students value the face-to-face discussion with their tutors, and so the model I see developing is that vets will consume online material and then move into a face-to-face discussion to clarify specific points with the lecturer.”

But despite his commitment to the value of online CPD, Ian was keen to highlight the benefits of getting back together with colleagues after two years of disruption.

He said: “There is marked change in the attitude of vets to face-to-face meetings since the autumn. We are tired of face masks and isolation, and I sense that vets are keen to get back together, to meet their friends and colleagues, and to take time to reflect and learn.”