SPVS were joined by a record 850 delegates, speakers and exhibitors at their annual Congress in Birmingham last week. SPVS Congress has built a strong reputation for offering a broad range of engaging non-clinical content, valuable opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals, and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere - and Congress 2026 certainly lived up to expectations.
Incoming President, Pete Orpin noted: “We designed the 2026 SPVS Congress to appeal to practitioners wanting help with today’s challenges. I was really pleased that was reflected in record support from both delegates and sponsors. We are stronger together and everyone left knowing more and ready to seize the opportunities in the months ahead.”
Opening speaker, educator, bestselling author, and one of the world’s most influential leaders on change and human leadership, Richard Gerver, kicked off the overall theme for the event of ‘Adapt, Evolve, Succeed.’ Fitting highlights from the programme included lunchtime sessions from Libby Kemkaran on peak performance and Paul Fox on leading through change.
“Connection. Inspiration. Insight. Learning. SPVS Congress provided all these and more last week - a great opportunity for the professions to come together and immerse in an environment that stimulated constructive, creative thinking, problem solving and seeing the opportunity in the challenges we all face. The sense of optimism, energy and enthusiasm was palpable.”
Andy Green, attendee
Congress 2026 saw the introduction of interactive demo sessions, plus the return of Business Club Live – a face-to-face version of SPVS Business Club – online sessions equipping attendees with business knowledge through community focused CPD, networking and real-world experience sharing. The 2026 sessions can be booked at https://spvs.org.uk/spvs-business-club/
The event concluded with the in-demand Vet Times Big 6 Live panel session on moving forward from the CMA’s inquiry outcomes.
In addition to the non-clinical lecture streams and workshops, Congress 2026 was packed with opportunities to network with the SPVS Social, Happy Hour and President’s Party, whilst the expanded exhibition allowed attendees to connect with a wide range of suppliers.
SPVS Congress also saw the presentation of the category winners of the SPVS Business Excellence Awards and announcement of the overall winners – Pet People Vets.
Pete concluded “My commitment as SPVS President is to further develop our engagement with our members and deliver an equally successful Congress in 2027. The more you support us as an organisation the more we can deliver for you. Only by stepping forward and getting involved can we make a difference.”
SPVS Congress will be returning to Birmingham in 2027. Register for Congress 2027 before 31 March 2026 to get £150 off a full member pass: https://spvs.org.uk/congress-2027-tickets/