Meetings
VCS Meetings
The VCS holds two main meetings per year. All members are invited to speak, and presentations vary from specialist and resident-led lectures to shorter case presentations and summaries of major international veterinary conferences (ACVIM Forum and ECVIM congress). Most of our meetings have a central theme that links with a talk from an invited human cardiologist, although other themes often emerge during the meeting. As well as talks from national and international speakers, there is plenty of opportunity to discuss, debate and catch-up with friends and colleagues during coffee breaks and lunch. Events are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, diagnostics suppliers (eg ultrasound, ECG machines) and specialist advisory or referral services, and we encourage all delegates to attend their stands between talks.
The first meeting of the year is a full-day event in the spring, the day before the main BSAVA congress in March-April in Manchester. Registration includes tea/coffee and lunch.
The second meeting of the year is in the autumn, over two full-days, and includes the society’s AGM. It is currently held in Warwickshire. We have recently introduced a separate stream for veterinary nurses. There are various registration options that include lunch on both days, dinner at the end of the first day and overnight accommodation at the venue. The dinner includes entertainment that varies from year to year- it’s a great opportunity to continue discussions, relax and let your hair down! If you don’t fancy presenting a talk but have some research or an interesting case that you would like to share, then there is a poster session on the afternoon of the first day. Poster abstracts are submitted earlier in the year, and if accepted, you can talk delegates through your poster during a cheese and wine reception!
There are also additional meetings held during the year by the breed-related sub-committee for refresher training in heart testing. For more information, click on the link to the heart testing pages. There is also a satellite meeting, principally for members involved in heart testing, the evening before the main autumn meeting.
We have public liability insurance with Zurich to cover the in person meetings.