This will be the 47th annual conference of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, and we are excited to invite you to join us in Monterey, California! Here are a couple highlights and travel suggestions to help you plan.

This fabulous, off-the-beaten-path location offers an amazing opportunity to learn, network, enjoy the nearby sea and wildlife, and perhaps take a post-meeting wine tour in the Sonoma Valley and extended area. Imagine being able to attend your educational sessions during the day and walking 2 minutes to the harbor for lunch to enjoy watching the seals playing in the water...or jogging along the Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Path enjoying ocean views for over 29 miles...or taking a driving tour of the famous 17 Mile Drive which enables you to see the beautiful Pebble Beach Golf Course , see amazing architecture and visit Carmel for fabulous shopping.

Let's not forget the highlight of this location, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, join 400 of your ACVO colleagues for a dinner event you'll remember...a complete buy-out of the Aquarium at night. Dine next to the glowing jelly fish tank or watch in wonder at the Deep Sea Tank that hosts hammerhead sharks, sea turtles and more. Register early to secure a spot, it will be limited to 400 attendees due to cost.

The conference typically hosts approximately 650 veterinarians, 100 technicians, 100 vendors (65 booths) and 50 registered guests. The schedule this year will minimally include general abstract presentations, poster sessions, a practice management course, a species-specific sessions, an advanced course/lab and general practitioners' course. Several social events are usually available including a Welcome Reception, the dinner at the aquarium and Vision for Animals Foundation "Cocktail Party & Auction". Families are welcome to attend with the appropriate registration.

The call for papers for the general meeting will again open March 1st and close end of day, April 30th. The advanced timeline will better allow clinics to schedule doctors and secure travel reservations. Registration for previous vendors will open April 1st, registration for general attendees begins May 1st. Discount fees are available for verifiable residents, interns and students.

All conference attendees will receive access to online presentation recordings for the year they attend. Additional years (2011-2015) are available for purchase for anyone interested. This system allows the user to search topics or speakers across four years of presentation content in a searchable format. ACVO members will be given free access three months post meeting, all attendees will gain immediate free access included in their registration. Access can also be purchased by non-attendees for these and the General Practitioner courses for a fee.

(View a sample on-line presentation. Order session access.)

This location requires a little more forethought on travel but is not difficult. The Monterey Airport is small, but if the dates/times work for you, it is located 5-10 minutes from the hotel. A very reasonable alternative is to fly into San Jose, and either take a direct shuttle or drive the 1-1.25 hours down the beautiful coast line to Monterey. We plan to secure preferred transportation with a highly recommended shuttle provider to assist those of you interested in this option, at first blush the pricing should be about $35 each way. Finally, if you like the idea of a drive down the coast, you could opt to fly into San Francisco and drive the ~2.5 hours to Monterey. The shuttle service is also available from San Francisco but we do not currently have rates. Much more information will be provided here over the winter.

We hope you will be able to join us this year or can consider attending at a future date. See future locations below.

Stacee Daniel
ACVO Executive Director

Key Dates

March 1st
Call for papers open (March 1st - April 30th)

April 1st
Exhibitor registration open to 2015 vendors.
(tiered system)

April 15th
Exhibitor registration open to new companies.

April 30th
Close call for papers (end of day)

May 1st
Open conference registration.
Open hotel registration.

May 15th
Manuscript submissions open.

June 1st-15th
Notify abstract submissions; acceptance/denial emails.
Post abstract presentation schedule and topics online.

July
Abstract schedules and topics available.

August 1st
Manuscript submissions close.
Hotel block closes mid-August.

September 1st
All pre-registration closes.
Membership agenda materials

Late September
Mobile conference web site available.

October
Exhibitor materials made available for on-site pre-registration for sponsors.