Sun, sea, and CE: Why veterinary teams should head to Fetch Long Beach

There is a particular kind of tired that sets in around the first week of December. You know the one. The holiday rush has started, the appointment book is packed with pre-travel exams and last-minute vaccine visits, and somewhere in the back of your mind is a nagging voice reminding you that your license renewal is coming and you have not finished your CE hours.

Here is my prescription: get on a plane to Southern California.

Fetch Long Beach returns to the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center December 3 to 5, 2026, and I am going to make the case that this is the smartest trip you will take all year. Not just because of the education, which is the strongest West Coast lineup we have assembled, but because of where it happens.

A convention center that sits on the water

Most conference venues are built for function. Long Beach built one for the view. The convention center is right on the waterfront, and when you step outside between sessions you are looking at the Pacific, not a parking garage. Rainbow Harbor is a short walk away, the downtown dining scene is right across the street, and the whole district is built for pedestrians.

Why does that matter for a CE conference? Because the learning does not stop when the lecture ends. Some of the most valuable conversations I have had at Fetch happened over coffee on a patio, walking to dinner with a faculty member, or sitting outside at the end of the day comparing notes with a technician from three states away. Long Beach gives you the space and the weather to make those moments happen. In early December, you can reasonably expect daytime temperatures in the 60s and sunshine, which for those of us flying in from the Northeast or the Midwest feels like a gift.

Our headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, is adjacent to the convention center, sits right on the water, and every guest room has an ocean or harbor view.

The city beyond the convention center

Long Beach calls itself the Aquatic Capital of America, and it is not an empty slogan. The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of the largest aquariums in the country and sits minutes from the venue. The Queen Mary, the historic ocean liner, is docked across the harbor. Shoreline Village and the Pike offer waterfront shopping and dining, and the city has a thriving arts district, a walkable downtown, and a diversity of neighborhoods that reward exploring.

If you want to extend the trip, you are 30 minutes from Los Angeles and under an hour from Orange County beaches. Bring the kids, bring your partner, and turn a work trip into the holiday getaway you have been meaning to take.

Getting there is easier than you think

Long Beach Airport is one of the most pleasant small airports in the country and sits about 15 minutes from downtown. Los Angeles International is roughly 30 minutes away, and John Wayne Airport in Orange County is another option.

The Long Beach difference

I have spoken at conferences in windowless ballrooms where you lose track of whether it is day or night. I have also spoken at Fetch Long Beach, and I can tell you the energy is different. People are relaxed. They linger in the exhibit hall. They stay for the reception instead of retreating to their hotel rooms. That energy feeds back into the sessions, into the questions people ask, and into the connections they make.

This year's Fetch theme is “The Music That Moves You,” and Long Beach is the right city for it. There is a rhythm to this place. The harbor, the boardwalk, the street musicians downtown, the sound of the water at night. Veterinary medicine has a rhythm too, and most of us have lost touch with it by December. Two days here can help you find it again.

The bottom line

You need the CE. Your team needs the break. Your family would love a few days in Southern California in December. Fetch Long Beach checks every box, and it does it in a venue that reminds you why you wanted a career that let you travel and learn in the first place.

Visit dvm360events.com to register, book your hotel, and start building your Fetch playlist. I will see you on the waterfront.