BSAVA Bows Out: But what happens to belonging? (#338)

After 68 years, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has announced that its 2025 Congress will be its last.

Once a flagship event for UK veterinary professionals, the Congress is being retired in favor of “more relevant and agile” continuing education formats.

On the surface, the decision appears pragmatic. A response to changing learning preferences and digital flexibility. But beneath that lies a quieter truth:

The foundations of how veterinary professionals gather, grow, and connect are being reshaped.

And what we may be losing isn’t just a conference.

It’s a cornerstone of community.

The Gathering That Meant More Than CE

Veterinary congresses like BSAVA weren’t just places to rack up continuing education hours.

They were something far more human and profound:

• A reunion with classmates, mentors, and former colleagues.

• A spark of recognition in the crowded hallways.

• A place to celebrate hard-won advances and air grievances about a profession that often feels isolating and under siege.

For many, the BSAVA Congress was the emotional glue of a profession that can be academically demanding, emotionally exhausting, and increasingly corporatized. These gatherings affirmed that you were part of something bigger than your clinic or hospital. That you belonged to a community of care.

That sense of belonging can’t be livestreamed. It doesn’t happen in a webinar. It needs handshakes, shared meals, and conversations that wander off-topic and into real connection.

Corporatization and the Quiet Restructuring of Veterinary CE

Of course, educational needs evolve, and conferences must too. But the timing of BSAVA’s exit coincides with another trend:

The rise of corporate consolidation and its profound impact on how, where, and why veterinary CE happens.

Corporations now employ tens of thousands of veterinarians globally. And they are increasingly:

• Delivering in-house CE, tailored to internal protocols and aligned with business goals.

• Restricting time off, making it harder for associates to attend multi-day, in-person events.

• Consolidating sponsorship deals, pulling industry funding toward private, branded education events.

In this system, CE becomes less about professional dialogue and more about training within a closed ecosystem.

The diversity of thought once fostered at a big, open congress gets diluted - or disappears.

We’re Losing More Than Lectures

When BSAVA Congress disappears, it won’t just be a few lectures or a trade show that vanishes. It will be:

• The chance encounter that leads to a new job, collaboration, or lifelong friendship.

• The reassurance that you’re not alone in your doubts, burnout, or ethical dilemmas.

• The reaffirmation of why you chose this profession in the first place.

These congresses reminded us that we are more than employees or productivity metrics.

They reminded us that veterinary medicine is still a calling, a craft, and a community.

The Future: Smaller, Smarter, but Still Human?

Yes, the future of CE may be smaller, more localized, and digitally accessible. That’s not necessarily bad. Flexibility and access matter.

But in this evolution, we must not forget the intangible value of coming together.

The laughter in the hotel bar.

The late-night debate after a controversial talk.

The shared exhaustion and exhilaration of learning not just from the slides, but from each other.

If we lose that, we risk not only weakening our knowledge base, but also our shared identity as a profession.

Rick’s Commentary

The end of BSAVA Congress is more than a logistical decision. It’s a moment that asks:

What does it mean to belong to a profession?

And what are we willing to do to protect the spaces where that belonging is felt?

As corporate influence grows and educational models shift, we must be deliberate in preserving the soul of veterinary medicine - not just the science.

The profession deserves more than efficient CE.

It deserves connection, camaraderie, and community.

Let’s make sure we don’t trade those away.

#bunyipsbooksbeyond