With both the general news and the Twittersphere focused on analyzing political news on Twitter – is it real or is it fake, we decided to focus on the news of what interested us @WVC_VetCE. With sparkling new branding of bright white and red, #WVC2017 was jam packed this year with new products, new ideas, and plenty of old friends to keep it real.
Ceva Animal Health CEO, Craig Wallace, giving the opening remarks at the KC Corridor sponsored Animalytix #WVC2017 Forum
Networking at the conference started strong with a robust showing of industry leaders and opening remarks by @CraigSWallace1 as the Kansas City Corridor Chair at the Kansas City Corridor sponsored annual Animalytix presentation.
Next up, I spoke with David Little, Chief Executive Officer of Western Veterinary Conference. In addition to what’s new at the conference, David took me through the extraordinary evolution of the Oquendo Center, the medical event space which now hosts both human and veterinary medicine programs. The human medicine programs help underwrite the cost for veterinarians, and all the programs have been so successful that the Center is set for a major expansion.
The Fear Free Converse Crew! Heather Pendergast, Marty Becker & myself at #WVC2017
Now on to Hot New Products, I had the pleasure to speak with Joe Young, Chief Operating Officer of Vetrax. Vetrax is a new advanced behavior monitoring system prescribed by veterinarians. The points of differentiation between Vetrax and other products that appear similar yet failed to make a dent in the veterinary market are significant. Years of research with veterinarians and a strategic partnership with @HillsPet behind Vetrax appear to be spot on. We anticipate talking more with Young to learn more.
Finally, @AratanaRx is a company the entire industry has had its collective eyes on. This is the first time we’ve covered their products. Nocita, a pain relief product, and ENTYCE, a recently approved FDA product available in late 2017 were featured at #WVC2017.
A special note of congratulations to the 2016 Educator of the Year for Veterinary Technicians, Heather Prendergast, RVT, CVPM. Prendergast is one of many board members helping spread the word about the Fear Free initiative, and we got a quick snapshot with her and the founder @DrMartyBecker at the conference with our @FearFreepets Converse.
Yes, we bid adieu to #WVC, but not to Twitter, and not to the big ideas unfolding…