Alan Beaulieu presents.

Rich Shavelson plays in the AVDA Tennis Social.

AVDA Spouse Tour attendees pose for a photo before their trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Attendee Culinary Institute.

Dave Arnold prepares his shot for the first ever AVDA Croquet Invitational.

AVDA’s 2008 Annual Conference held April 27 - 29 at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona proved a tremendous success. AVDA experienced record attendance with nearly 200 attendees gathering for the annual business meeting and networking event.

One of AVDA’s most highly rated speakers, Alan Beaulieu, the Institute for Trend Research, returned this year to update attendees on short-term and long-term economic forecasts and their impact on the animal health industry. Bob Wendover, Center on Generational Studies, addressed the issue of age differences in the current workplace, how they have become a major challenge and how supervisors can create the best climate for all employees. John Mackay, Mackay Research Group, reviewed manufacturers and distributors goals concerning Return On Investment. He also reviewed how manufacturers and distributors differ in their method to achieve equivalent, comparative ROI. Don Flynn, Handheld Products, Inc., gave a presentation on bar coding and how it can assist distributors and manufacturers in managing inventory and electronic tracing and pedigree requirements.

To see Alan Beaulieu’s presentations from the conference, click here.

Outstanding networking opportunities like the Annual Scramble Golf Tournament, Welcome Reception and Awards Banquet & Reception allowed distributors and manufacturers to talk one on one about their business challenges and their growth ideas. This year’s Monday afternoon schedule was left open to allow for additional business appointments and unstructured networking. Most attendees were pleased with not only the high number of registrants but also the variety of companies represented.

AVDA expanded conference activities for 2008 offering attendees a Culinary Institute on Tuesday for the non golfers as well as a Tennis Social on Monday. As attendee interests expand we are pleased to add events and enhanced conference options. Please forward suggestions for next year to AVDA@ksgroup.org.

Our event concluded with an awards presentation and dinner dance. AVDA was proud to present two Lifetime Achievement Awards to Dr. Robert Danielson and Thomas Corcoran. To see the full article on the Lifetime Achievement Awards, click here. Attendees danced the night away and some attendees assisted the band with their renditions of New York, New York and Mustang Sally.

The entire 2008 AVDA meeting was captured by our photographer. To see pictures, click here. Remember the photos are password protected for attendee privacy. Passwords were previously sent out to AVDA members and attendees via e-mail. If you do not have the password, please contact AVDA headquarters at AVDA@ksgroup.org or 443-640-1040.

Attendance at the Annual Conference continues to grow. To view a list of 2008 Attendees, click here.

AVDA is incredibly fortunate to have generous sponsors dedicated to enhancing our Annual Conference. In addition to earning the appreciation of AVDA attendees, sponsorship offers enriched program quality via speakers and social events. Fort Dodge Animal Health and Pfizer Animal Health were the 2008 Grand Sponsors. For a full list of sponsors please click here. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2009 Annual Conference will be announced in October. Please contact AVDA Headquarters for more information.

Next year’s conference promises to offer the same kind of value to attendees, so mark your calendar for AVDA’s 2009 Annual Conference to be held April 19 – 21 at the Renaissance Vinoy® Resort & Golf Club. More information about the meeting will be posted on the AVDA web site, www.avda.net. Promotional and registration materials will be mailed to attendees in January 2009.

Katy and Company performed for the AVDA attendees.