- The World Veterinary Association Congress will be held in the Costa Rican Convention Center from April 27-30, 2019.
- Some 1,500 people are expected to participate in the event, where they will hear from 62 speakers from around the world
Costa Rica has been chosen to host the World Congress of Veterinary Medicine, which will be held on April 27-30, 2019. This is a unique opportunity for veterinarians worldwide from every branch of the profession to meet and explore the challenges facing the health and wellness of animals. Some 1,500 people are expected to participate in the event, where they will hear from 62 speakers from around the world.
The meeting will be held in the Costa Rican Convention Center (CCCR): once again, the eyes of the world will be on Costa Rica, placing it on the map for meeting tourism. This will bring about business development opportunities for the participating countries and demonstrate once again the country’s ability to attract international events. This is the result of joint efforts and hard work on the part of various institutions, including the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) the Convention Bureau, The Convention Center and the various service providers who strengthen the destination’s offerings.
The organization and logistics of the World Veterinary Association Congress 2019 will be handled by COMEXP, a Costa Rican professional congress organizer. With over 30 years’ experience developing these kinds of projects; it has carried out over 600 successful events across Latin America.
The designation of Costa Rica as the host of the world meeting of veterinary professionals, held for the first time in Latin America, represents a “vote of confidence in the talent and skills of Costa Rican professionals”, said Nuvia Ramírez, General Manager of COMEXP.
COMEXP is very satisfied to have access to world-class infrastructure like the Convention Center. Without a doubt, it will attract new projects and will facilitate these kinds of activities in the country, bringing benefits for professionals in a variety of fields including the development of new businesses and tourism spending.
This is a major opportunity for Costa Ricans to realize that the organizers of international conventions choose the destination first, as in the case of Costa Rica, and once the country is confirmed, they select the venue and the service providers in charge of operations, among other tasks. “The synergy between various institutions was key to attracting this congress, and we at the CCCR have made our own contribution. We are working in a strategic manner to continue assisting other institutions so that our country keeps attracting more of these events” said the CCCR General Manager, Álvaro Rojas.
For Gustavo Alvarado, Director of Tourism Management at the ICT, this is good news, which demonstrates that the promotional efforts directed towards congresses and conventions are bearing fruit by attracting large international events. “The possibility of attracting a world congress of this size contributes to strengthening Costa Rica’s position in this sector. It shows that we are ideally equipped to host such events, with a committed private sector, a high level of quality in service provision, and a country with enviable geographical conditions that is close to a variety of tourist attractions, which will complement the experience of this group of tourists”.
The world-class venue provides participants with a 10-hectare campus with 3 halls of different sizes, which can be divided into various areas, as well as six meeting rooms, a press hall, a VIP room, and a cooking area, among other features.
The event’s scientific program will have three main areas: public health, academics and clinical medicine. Furthermore, sessions will be held which relate to areas including wildlife, smaller species, equines, buiatrics and regenerative medicine.
According to the organizers, registration has been confirmed for professionals from the Netherlands, Germany, India, Italy, Chile, Brazil, England, Argentina, Scotland, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Nigeria, Venezuela, Uganda, Peru, Uruguay, Japan, Korea and the United States.
Silvia Coto, President of the Costa Rican Association of Veterinarians (CMVCR), said that the event would be a unique opportunity to encourage “professional development and a pathway towards excellence in this profession”.
“We are offering a program with talks from world-renowned speakers regarding the latest advances in our discipline, their impact on public health, therapeutic applications, diagnostics, clinical issues and production”, Coto declared.
The CMCVR President highlighted that this was the first time that this congress would be held in Latin America, meaning that Costa Rican professionals would benefit from access to up-to-date information and learning about latest-generation techniques.
“For us as a country, this is an opportunity for local veterinary medicine to implement world-class strategies and knowledge, as well as the possibility to innovate and improve the services we offer to society”, Coto added.
Rojas concluded that the goal of the Costa Rican Convention Center is to satisfy the demand for meeting services, both at a domestic and international level, with the aim of becoming a leading global destination, which supports the ICT’s country strategy for this sector.
