China to host WSAVA Congress 2024

The WSAVA has announced plans to take its flagship world congress event to China for the first time.

WSAVA World Congress is a three–day conference, which this year is being held from 27 to 29 September in Lisbon, where the association plans to unveil three new sets of its global guidelines.

Next year the event will be held in China, one of the fastest–growing veterinary markets, where the Suzhou International Expo Center near Shanghai will host the event from 3 to 5 September 2024.

Congress will be hosted jointly by two of the WSAVA’s member associations in the country, the Beijing Small Animal Veterinary Association (BJSAVA) and the Shanghai Small Animal Veterinary Association (SHSAVA).

‘Olympic Games’

BJSAVA president Louis Liu said: “WSAVA 2024 is the ‘Olympic Games’ of the veterinary world in the eyes of veterinary profession in China, so hosting it is an honour and a privilege.

“We are looking forward to meeting our colleagues from around the world, to learn from them, to share our knowledge with them and to introduce them to China’s vibrant culture.”

WSAVA president Ellen van Nierop added: “With more than 200 million pets living in Chinese households and more than 22,000 companion animal veterinary clinics already established, the need for highly trained companion animal veterinary professionals is only likely to grow.

“We are looking forward to bringing WSAVA World Congress to this exciting and rapidly evolving veterinary market.

“Working in partnership with the BJSAVA and SHSAVA, we are preparing to deliver a feast of world-class continuing education to companion animal veterinary professionals, and to learn from our Chinese members, who have so much to contribute to our global veterinary community.”