Newsletter JAVMA 2012 Friday/Saturday : Page 1
Welcome to the 2012 AVMA Annual Convention By R. Scott Nolen Veterinary professionals from around the world are gathered here at the San Diego Conven-tion Center for four-and-a-half days of education, exhibits, and entertainment during the 2012 AVMA Annual Convention. “There are so many high-lights at this year’s convention, an attendee may need to wear sun screen both inside as well as outdoors,” Dr. Ron Banks, chair of the AVMA Convention Man-agement and Program Commit-tee, said. The 149th AVMA Annual Convention commences Friday with The AVMA Show at 6 p.m. in Ballroom 6 on level 3 of the San Diego Convention Center. Hill’s Pet Nutrition is sponsor-ing the event, which features keynote speaker Joan Embery and sitcom star Jay Thomas as emcee. An advocate for animals and the environment, Embery is sure to educate and entertain the audience with her presentation featuring live animals. Prior to The AVMA Show, the Association is hosting a re-ception for newcomers to the AVMA convention from 5 to 6 p.m. in room 5AB on level 3 of In compliance with the AVMA Bylaws, the annual meeting of the AVMA vot-ing members will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, at the San Diego Conven-tion Center, in conjunction with the opening session of the AVMA Annual Conven-tion. Courtesy of Corporate Helicopters the convention center. Conven-tion Management and Program Committee members and AVMA staff will be on hand to help first-time attendees maximize their convention experience. “We know that a convention as large as the AVMA’s can be a bit overwhelming, and we want the first-time attendee to be less overwhelmed and more excited and engaged with all the oppor-tunities available to them,” ex-plained Kelly Fox, AVMA Con-vention and Meeting Planning Division director. To help attendees get the most out of their time at the conven-tion, the AVMA MapIt! agenda planner sponsored by Boehring-er Ingelheim has been enhanced. Available for download at www. avmaconvention.org, attendees can use MapIt! on their iPads, smart phones, or personal com-puters to manage their conven-tion schedules, receive breaking announcements, and learn about sessions and events. Several firsts are planned for the San Diego convention. For instance, supplemental training for veterinarians certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Accredita-tion Program is offered Monday and Tuesday. Veterinarians re-turning to the convention will be enrolled in the new AVMA Con-vention Loyalty Program that provides discounted registration rates for future meetings. On Tuesday, the AVMA will host the first Technician Town Hall meeting for veterinary technicians from noon to 1 p.m. in room 6C. Sponsored by Elan-co, the event is an opportunity for attendees to meet with mem-bers of the National Associa-tion of Veterinary Technicians in America and discuss how the organization can provide better continuing education and ser-vice for its members. Veterinary technicians can also take ad-vantage of the Each Tech Bring a Tech program, which allows a technician who has paid the convention registration fee to bring along a colleague for free. The new Exhibitor Elite Pass Program provides exhibi-tors with more opportunities to reach new customers and serve the ones they already have. At-tendees can use their smart phones or iPads to scan quick response codes to capture a ven-dor’s Internet site address and obtain benefits and discounts. More than a thousand CE sessions are offered at this year’s convention. The Hot Topic sessions cover late-break-ing issues such as compound-ing medications for nonfood-producing animals, the Fairness to Pet Owners Act being con-sidered by Congress, and trends in pet ownership and spending. On Monday, the Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare is hosting a full day of events to debut tools for increasing veterinary visits and reversing the rise in prevalence of pre-ventable diseases in companion animals. CE certificates can be printed at any of the five print stations located outside the exhibit hall next to the escalators and on level 3 next to the escalators near Ballroom 6. Texas-licensed veterinarians should check-in at the Texas CE Counter in the registration area; New York-li-censed veterinarians are advised to call the New York State Vet-erinary Medical Society office at (518) 869-7867 for CE veri-fication questions. continued on page 2 Introducing three NEW ways to help patients get to the bottom of the bowl. Learn more at PurinaVeterinaryDiets.com NEW OM Savory Selects ™ Overweight Management Feline Formula in Gravy NEW DM Savory Selects ™ Dietetic Management Feline Formula in Gravy NEW OM Select Blend Overweight Management ™ Canine Formula Trademarks owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland
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