BSAVA Congress sets records in Birmingham
13th Apr 2011
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Congress has been hailed “the best year yet” by delegates and exhibitors alike after breaking all records and bringing together the whole veterinary profession to celebrate its 250th anniversary at The International Convention Centre (ICC), Birmingham.
More than 8,000 people gathered for the BSAVA’s flagship event with 16 per cent more visitors than last year and the largest ever exhibition at The National Indoor Arena (NIA) – bringing an estimated £14.8m to the regional economy.
There were 5,816 delegates (5,028 in 2010), including 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. And that figure is expected to snowball when the BSAVA hosts the World Congress at The ICC in 2012.
BSAVA President, Grant Petrie said Congress had surpassed all his expectations and it was a year he would never forget.
“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.”
Catherine Newhall-Caiger, Director of International Sales for The ICC, said: “It’s fantastic to have developed such a long standing partnership with the BSAVA over the years and we look forward to welcoming back our friends next year for World Congress, which is estimated to attract around 8,500 delegates.”
The world-leading exhibition featured over 250 stands, including many new companies, and an impressive number chose BSAVA Congress to launch their latest industry advances, unveil new products and showcase unique special offers – enjoying thousands of face-to-face conversations over the four days.
For the first time the social programme sold out before Congress started, with an amazing array of talent lined up including comedian Michael McIntyre, Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke and Erin Boag and band The Feeling.
So many exhibitors have been quick to agree that Congress had been a huge success and many have already put 2012 in their schedules. Thousands of deals, worth millions of pounds were agreed, bringing the very latest industry advances into practices across the UK – and there was a sharp rise in international customers for many too.
One exhibitor saw a 400 per cent increase in sales leads, another received orders worth more than £5 million. On-stand product demonstrations were very popular, while others gathered information for more almost 4,000 potential customers.
