Assorted findings from this year's veterinary conference season

The author recommends a plan of attack for both educational sessions and the exhibition hall. Photos courtesy NAVC. There is nothing like a veterinary conference to help an isolated industry worker re-connect with the veterinary zeitgeist. Though I dutifully keep my ear to the ground on a wide variety of veterinary issues, toiling in the trenches has kept me insulated from a variety of deeper insights into today’s veterinary industry. At least, that how it seemed when I attended VMX last month in Orlando. The conference as professional imperative For the bulk of my career, conferences have always seemed imperative to my success as a veterinary professional and vet journalist at large. Since becoming a practice owner, however, it has become almost impossible to leave my practice during high conference season. (Sadly, the largest conferences coincide with our busiest months here in South Florida.) Veterinary shortages, coupled with the pandemic, have made it hard for me to fly or drive to a destination conference at least three times a year, as I had once done. To wit, it seemed most expedient to send the young and hungry associates and content myself with the proceedings on the back end. Proceedings, however, only reveal the very tip of our profession’s massive informational iceberg. They divulge precious little of the flavor and culture of our industry, and they typically offer only minimal insight into where it’s headed. Taking the industry’s temperature To glean a proper appreciation of an industry’s dynamics via a conference I like to take a three-pronged approach: 1) Concentrate on the periphery of the exhibition hall. Skip the big guys. In my experience they don’t really offer too much unless you have a specific issue you need clarified or a new product explained. The important people typically are not even present at the big-top booths clustered towards the middle. Sure, it’s important to see who is there, but that much you can learn just by skimming the conference materials you have already received. The industry up-and-comers are always on the far right or far left of the cavernous hall(s) at the largest conferences. These are the low-rent start-ups and the industry wannabes, but some of those manning these booths are also the smartest people in the room. It’s how I have met some of my favorite industry people, many of whom have become lifelong friends and allies. 2) Interview random veterinarians and do not skip the small talk with veterinary technicians and vet students. Here’s how: • You don’t need to be a journalist to insinuate yourself (politely, of course) into loud lunch-line or designated vape-area conversations whenever possible (no need to eat the tragic lunch food or risk your health to do so—but it helps!). • Attend your school’s private functions, where you can corner your dean for a few minutes and chat with current students and fellow alumni in a privileged, more private setting. Pro tip: You will get more for your minutes by showing up mid-way through the event when everyone’s loosened up on the adult libations. • I’ve also been known to walk up to random conference attendees and ask for an interview. iPhone recorder and/or note pad in hand, I’ve asked questions about their careers, state of mind, where they think we are headed and suggestions they might have for the profession. It’s really easy. Most people want to talk—especially when I’ve just given them an excuse to feel valued. 3) Attend panel discussions on cultural issues or practice management. These offer access to industry “influencers” (in the ecumenical sense of the word), whose perspicacity and general industry knowledge tends to dwarf those of mine. Moreover, these are where really smart questions get asked (these lead to discussions that can be much more valuable than the panelists’ comments). Afterwards, you can cherry pick the people you’d like to interview or contact afterward via email. By the way, this trick is also doable by sneaking into lectures at the very end, when some attendees are already fleeing the bigger rooms. This way you get to hear the Q&A, which helps me get a sense of audience engagement, and that is typically the most interesting bit, anyway. The rest should be in the proceedings, right? Making the time to attend The hardest part of any conference is getting there and back. It all comes down to making the time to do what needs doing (and parting with the funds required to do so). Ironically, now that I have the money to go to any conference I like, I find myself full of reasons not to attend. (“I can always read the proceedings, after all,” or “My associates need it more than I do.”) However, if I’m honest, these are just excuses. As with exercise, eating well, or anything else, you simply need to prioritize it (easier said…). That’s why this year I decided it was time for me to come up for air and get my butt to a conference—no matter what. Unfortunately, I again had to cover for associates attending the VMX conference., but thanks to the new Brightline train between Miami and Orlando I was able to make it to the Sheraton in just under four hours (and eat dinner while aboard, too). Unscientific findings from VMX The next morning I got my press pass (thank you, VPN!) and spent the whole next day on the floor absorbing the atmosphere in my usual way (reference my above tactics) with help from one of my associates (thank you, Dr. Dueñas!), who is also an “influencer” (in the TikTok sense of the word). Here’s what we discovered: 1) The conference skewed young. Sure, the older I get the younger everyone looks. This conference seemed to skew younger than most. Here are some explanations why that might be the case: • While it’s hard to get stats on veterinarians in practice and all their ages, it has been my very unscientific observation that a disproportionate number of older veterinarians retired during the pandemic. • Practice buyouts have also taken many off the market within the last decade. • Finally, it is clear that ageism is alive and well, which means it is harder for older veterinarians to find comfortable “homes” if they can’t abide corporate life. (Too often, older veterinarians are passed over for being “behind the times” and “set in their ways,” never getting the chance to prove they are anything but.) 2) Veterinary technicians were everywhere! Indeed, more of our techs attended than associates. This group was a vaping station standout, making it easy to collar them and secure their opinions. Many arrived in groups, which lent a sense of joyful camaraderie to their interactions. They were clearly excited to be learning in ways they never get a chance to learn while on the job. Some had never been to a conference and practically gushed over the instruction they were receiving, crediting their practices for the opportunity. It does the heart good, I tell you, to see the profession investing more in our technicians than ever before. It clearly pays to get technicians to conferences! Between the goodwill it brings and the excitement it generates (never mind the knowledge and technical skills they amass), it is worth every penny, IMO. Plus, their enthusiasm made the conference way more enjoyable for me. Note: The age of our techs also skews very young, which doubtless influenced the feeling that I was among the older professionals in attendance. 3) Corporate practice took center stage. Alongside ever-present Big Lab, Big Pharma, and Big Pet Food, corporate practices more than held their own within the exhibition hall’s prime real estate. In fact, they seemed to be everywhere, marketing job openings for workers along with exit strategies for owners. Perhaps I took special notice because I’m a practice owner both researching exit strategies and competing for employees. Either way, I couldn’t help the twinge of futility that overcame me while remarking on their seemingly outsized presence. Sigh… A job worth doing What have I been doing with myself these past 10 years? It’s not as if I have skipped conferences every year, but I had not been back since the start of the pandemic (four full years!). I seemed to have forgotten how fundamental conferences can be. Of course, the proceedings help but they are no match for the real deal. Which is why I decided: Vegas, here I come! Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA, owns a small animal practice in Miami and is available at drpattykhuly.com. Columnists’ opinions do not necessarily reflect those of VPN Plus+.

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Assorted findings from this year's veterinary conference season

For example, are we getting younger?

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