First global animal health conference of its kind coming in 2025

Photo: Preyanuch/Adobe Stock

The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the Michelson Found Animals Foundation (MFA), a nonprofit animal welfare organization focused on saving pets and reducing the number of homeless pets in shelters, recently announced a new partnership dedicated to defining the future of animal well-being and pet care. NAVC and MFA’s commitment course will span into 2035 and beyond and is aimed at uniting every facet of the animal health and pet care area globally.¹

One of the most imminent and significant highlights stemming from the new partnership is their upcoming first worldwide animal health and pet care landscape conference, Compass, which will be the first of its kind.

The conference, scheduled to be held April 10, 2025, to April 11, 2025, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, will be designed as a breeding ground for innovation and opportunities to interchange ideas. Industry leaders, visionaries, investors, and individualists who are part of or interested in the global realm of animal health and pet care will have chance to come together to discuss and investigate prospects and key impact areas of this field.

"As 2 leading industry bodies, MFA and NAVC bring the leadership of the conversation about the future of the animal health and pet care sector directly into the hands of the industry itself," Brett Yates, CEO of MFA, said in a news release.¹ "The leaders in our industry need a place to come together, and Compass will be that platform. [It will be] the place where we convene to outline and discover future investment opportunities, advance technological development, collaborate on solving the issues ahead of us, and improve the lives of animals around the world long into the future.”

Currently, the pet and animal health industry exceeds $300 billion.¹ A report by Bloomberg estimates that by 2030, the pet industry will grow to almost $500 billion as the global pet population and cost of food and services for these animals increases.² Moreover, the rise in more complex drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies, which help increase the lifespan of animal companions is expected to make the pharmaceutical market reach $25 billion by the end of this decade, with the global pet food market possibly topping $135 by then.²

At the Compass conference, individuals in the veterinary, technology, investment, supply chain, and pharmaceutical professions will be able to participate. Additionally, legislators and policymakers, philanthropic organizations, researchers and more stakeholders will also be attending and fostering a landscape of unique perspectives.

The conference, which will be the first of its kind and is being set up to take place annually, will cover many topics in animal health, including¹:

• Investing and entrepreneurship
• Technology and development
• Market dynamics and consumer behavior (supply chain and retail)
• Regulatory policy and legislative development
• Pet health care professionals and medical innovations
• Infrastructure and environmental design
• Industry advocacy and nonprofit perspectives

“Our relationship with animals continues to expand and converge in every aspect of our lives,” Gene O’Neill, CEO of NAVC, said in the release.¹ "They are at the center of an exciting socio-economic shift requiring bold, new ideas and a unified global approach to how we support their place in our lives today and in the future. Compass provides the platform for industry leaders from around the world to engage in novel, forward-looking dialogue with those across the entire animal health and pet care ecosystem. We will also invite visionaries outside of our industry to participate and serve as catalysts for new ideas and solutions we cannot even imagine today, to chart a rewarding and healthy future for animals and their relationship with people. No forum like this exists today, and we believe its impact will be game-changing."

Earlier this year, O’Neill discussed another new, global initiative: the philanthropic NAVC Gives program. “It's a recognition program that can more than just applaud things that happen around the country [and] around the world that benefit animals. Now we can help support that with a financial incentive,” he said in an interview with dvm360.³

NAVC announced the inaugural winner of the first NAVC Gives award during the 2024 Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida. The first NAVC Gives Marquee Award recipient was Pet Peace of Mind, a nonprofit organization based in Salem, Oregon, that received a $25,000 prize. Pet Peace of Mind helps humans entering hospice care keep their pets throughout their end-of-life journey, at no cost to the patient, and arrange a new home for the animal after its owner has died.⁴

References

1. The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and Michelson Found Animals Foundation (MFA) chart new course to define future of animal health and pet care in 2035 and beyond. News release. North American Veterinary Community. June 11, 2024. Accessed June 12, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-north-american-veterinary-community-navc-and-michelson-found-animals-foundation-mfa-chart-new-course-to-define-future-of-animal-health-and-pet-care-in-2035-and-beyond-302169490.html
2. Global pet industry to grow to $500 billion by 2030, Bloomberg Intelligence report finds. Bloomberg. March 24, 2023. Accessed June 12, 2024. https://www.bloomberg.com/company/press/global-pet-industry-to-grow-to-500-billion-by-2030-bloomberg-intelligence-finds/
3. Coppock K. NAVC Gives honors community members who benefit animals. dvm360. January 16, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/navc-gives-honors-community-members-who-benefit-animals
4. McCafferty C. Pet Peace of Mind wins inaugural NAVC Gives Marquee Award. dvm360. January 16, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/pet-peace-of-mind-wins-inaugural-nacv-gives-marquee-award