BSAVA 2011
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) once gain held their annual Congress in Birmingham in 2011. The association has brought its Congress to Birmingham every year for the past 21 years, and 2011 proved to be the most successful year so far, taking place across both The International Convention Centre (The ICC) and The National Indoor Arena (The NIA).
The 2011 event, which celebrated BSAVA’s 250th anniversary, broke all previous attendance records. More than 8,000 people attended the Congress, a 16% increase on 2010, and the event had its largest exhibition than ever before at The NIA. The delegates came from all over the world, with a record-breaking 634 visitors from overseas, with more than 50 countries represented. Denmark (74), Norway (53) and the USA (44) sent the most delegates.
The event brought an estimated £14.8m to the regional economy through accommodation, travel, restaurants, entertainment and other associated costs.
The world-leading exhibition saw many companies using the event to launch their latest industry advances, unveil new products and showcase unique special offers. Over the four days, exhibitors and delegates took the opportunity to enjoy thousands of face-to-face conversations, with thousands of deals, worth millions of pounds being agreed, bringing the very latest industry advances into practices across the UK.
The social programme proved a massive success, and sold out before the Congress had even started – a first for the event. The programme attracted an array of talent including comedian Michael McIntyre, Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke and Erin Boag and band The Feeling.
Birmingham Convention Bureau (BCB) has worked closely with BSAVA for many years to ensure that the event is a continuing success, providing both organisers and delegates with expert advice, resulting in a very enjoyable event for all involved.
BSAVA take advantage of a range of BCB’s services including accommodation booking, venue location and event support.
In addition, BCB provided a bespoke microsite for BSAVA, which received just under 1,000 unique visitors prior to the event. The microsite provided delegates with access to the accommodation booking, travel information, details of their event and exclusive discount vouchers, to be used during their stay in Birmingham.
Looking to the future, 2012 will see the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) bring its annual Congress to Birmingham. This is the international arm of the association and the figure of international delegates is expected to increase dramatically for this event. The event which for 2011 is being held in Jeju, Korea, has previously been held in Geneva, Sydney, Prague, Bangkok and Vancouver.
BSAVA President, Grant Petrie said:
“It has been a tremendous honour to preside over such a truly world-class Congress, particularly to serve as President on the 250th anniversary of the veterinary profession.
“I am immensely proud to see more delegates and more exhibitors than ever before, together with a fantastic social programme and networking opportunities which created a really special buzz around the event.
“We’ve been hosting Congress at The ICC consecutively for the past 21 years and each and every year we’re always impressed by The ICC and NIA teams who work tirelessly to deliver this superb event for us.”
