Veterinary Conferences to Attend in 2024

You may have graduated veterinary school at the top of your class, but that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. Veterinary medicine is constantly evolving, and if you want to provide the best care for your furry patients, keeping up with the latest changes is a must.

Veterinary conferences in 2024 offer continuing education and networking opportunities for the veterinary industry professional. They’re open to practice managers, vets, veterinary technicians, veterinary students, and people interested in a career change to veterinary medicine.

Below, we’ve covered some of the most popular continuing education conferences for small and large animal internal medicine. You’ll also learn the importance of attending conferences with your veterinary team.

The Significance of Veterinary Conferences

Savvy veterinary industry professionals know the importance of attending educational sessions to keep their skills sharp. If you’re a practice manager, vet tech, or small animal medicine veterinarian, here’s why it’s important to attend a diverse range of veterinary conferences.

Networking Opportunities

Great minds think alike, as the saying goes, and it’s no less true for veterinarians. Attending conferences exposes you to a variety of viewpoints from veterinary professionals nationwide.

For instance, if you run a practice in a small town, imagine what you might learn from a big-city New York vet. At a veterinary meeting, you could discover cutting-edge innovations and techniques that improve the health and well-being of man’s best friend.

Conferences offer social opportunities for accomplished vets and veterinary students alike. If you’re an upcoming or recent grad, conferences are wonderful places to find job opportunities. If you’re more advanced in your career and are looking for a partner to help expand your practice, vet conferences are the place to be.

Educational Benefits

Regardless of your veterinary specialty, you’ll learn a ton at the nation’s top veterinary conferences in 2024. These events feature panel discussions, sponsor-led workshops, interactive labs, and reviews of the most promising scientific research abstracts.

Need high-quality CE credits to advance your career? You’ll find plenty of learning options at conferences in different cities nationwide.

Top Five Veterinary Conferences and Events on Our Must-Go List

Below, we’ve listed highly rated special events and select sessions from the most respected organizations in the veterinary industry. Registration for each event opens soon, so sign up for your favorites today.

• Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) (January 25-29, 2025)

While the next VMX is held at the start of next year, it isn’t one you’ll want to miss. VMX, presented by NAVC, will be held in Orlando, FL, January 25-29, 2025. This event, themed “Festival of the HeARTS,” will explore the emotional and artistic sides of veterinary medicine alongside the science. Attendees will benefit from over 950 hours of continuing education across hundreds of program tracks, including small and large animal care, exotics, veterinary nursing, practice management, and professional development.

Highlights include hands-on workshops, masterclasses, and interactive sessions. VMX Virtual will also be available, offering CE credits through both OnDemand and scheduled sessions. The VMX Expo Hall will showcase innovative products, services, and equipment to help enhance your practice.

Early bird registration is now open at $125 for VMX 2025.

•  American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) (June 6-8, 2024)

The ACVIM Forum features sessions on relevant topics such as small animal internal medicine, oncology, nutrition, neurology, and cardiology. You’ll also find leadership, communication, business, and research courses.

This conference will be held in Minneapolis, MN, June 6-8, 2024, with a specialty symposium on June 5. If you can’t attend in person, you can access the livestream on virtual day (June 18). The ACVIM will also offer on-demand sessions starting October 31, 2024.

Costs for this event range from $225 (students and techs) to $1,175 (non-member veterinarians). Discounted virtual-only pricing ranges from $125 to $750.

•  American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) (June 21-25, 2024)

AVMA Convention 2024 will take place June 21-25, 2024, in Austin, TX. Come and enjoy authentic Texas barbecue, iconic live music, and the city’s dance scene while learning about innovative solutions through exciting hands-on workshops at the AVMA exhibit hall.

This veterinary conference includes over 650 hours of continuing education in various formats, including drop-in learning sessions, interactive labs, and lectures. If you become an AVMA member now, you can save $225 on AVMA Convention 2024 registration.

If you’re an AVMA member, the AVMA Convention 2024 prices range from $230 to $595. For non-member veterinarians, costs range from $445 to $820. Military members also enjoy AVMA Convention 2024 discounts.

• International Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Symposium (IVECCS) (September 7-11, 2024)

IVECCS bills itself as the premier conference for emergency vets, veterinary technicians, practice managers, and veterinary students. The 2024 conference will feature more than 200 thought leaders, academics, researchers, and vet care experts. At this event, your practice will learn how to solve the biggest challenges in veterinary emergency care.

This event runs September 7-11, 2024, at America’s Convention Center in St. Louis, MO. Educational and social events will include a career fair, practice leadership luncheons, a 5K fun run, and happy hour in the expansive exhibit hall.

Prices for this event range from $165 (students and vet techs) to $770 (veterinarians). Discounted members-only and virtual-only pricing is also available.

•  Southwest Veterinary Symposium (SVS) (September 26-29, 2024)

Held September 26-29, 2024, in Fort Worth, TX, the Southwest Veterinary Symposium will feature 13 tracks, 100+ speakers, and 10 continuing education labs. This conference will have something for veterinary professionals at any stage of their career.

Your practice will find classes on veterinary dentistry, animal anesthesia, respiratory emergencies, and many more. If you own an equine practice, you’ll appreciate the classes on fluid therapy and guttural pouch mycosis. SVS also offers classes on managing stress and setting prices for your practice. To cap it all off, you’ll get a tour of the Fort Worth Zoo Hospital.

If you register before July 31, prices for this event range from $250 to $490. After July 31, prices range from $300 to $590.

•  Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference (PNWVC) (September 27-29, 2024)

Running from September 27-29, 2024, PNWVC will feature more than 150 hours of continuing education at the exhibit hall in Tacoma, WA. This conference features exciting lectures on caring for farm animals, reptiles, cats, and dogs.

You can attend lectures on hoof diseases, equine breeding, ultrasound interpretation, and bee colony management. Practice managers will appreciate the classes on online review management, vet practice employee retention, and communicating with patients.

Pricing for this event runs from $295 to $475 per attendee. Students may attend the veterinary conference for free.

Vet Conferences 2024 Honorable Mentions

Although these are our top five vet conferences, we’d like to mention a few other must-attend events. Honorable mentions include:

• Western Veterinary Conference, March 2-5, 2025, Las Vegas, NV
• Midwest Veterinary Conference (MVC), February 21-24, 2024, Columbus, OH
• New York Vet Show, November 7-8, 2024, New York, NY
• Fetch dvm360 Events, multiple dates and locations (Atlantic City, Long Beach, Kansas City, Charlotte)
• VetGIRL U, June 27-30, 2024, New Orleans, LA

Power Up Your Veterinary Office With Weave

If you’re like most managers, you’re always looking for ways to level up your practice. From handling online reviews to managing employee happiness, your job is busy. Treating these events as team-building opportunities is as important as keeping up with the latest industry trends.

Attending the AVMA convention or any other veterinary conference on this list will inspire all of you to set new goals and achieve them together. One way to jumpstart that process is by taking things up a notch with Weave.

Our software includes everything you need to keep your practice running smoothly. You’ll get access to awesome tools such as online appointment scheduling, payment requests, review management, and so much more.

Practice Management Software for Veterinary Professionals

If you want to boost your practice after attending an event at the best veterinary conferences of 2024, try Weave! Our software is a snap to use and comes with quality-of-life features that your whole team will love.

Get a free demo now and see why Weave is the top practice management software for veterinarians.