BVRA Congress 2026 with Hannah and Nicky

This was the 8th year for the BVRA Congress, and it was once again hosted in St Johns Voco Hotel in Solihull. The schedule for the Congress hosted an exciting line up of speakers and subjects.

In the Exhibition Hall, there were lots of stands (with free pens) for us to walk around and speak with, learning more about what we could do in the industry alongside working on reception, and the different paths that were available to us as well. Petplan, Vetlife, Royal Canin, Dignipet and NVS were but a few there in a packed room full of people wanting to learn and speak to one another.

Hannah's favourite talk came from Carolyne Crowe, who is an equine vet as well as a personal performance coach and mentor. Her talk was called "Thriving on the Front Line" where she took us through how we can best do our job alongside how to make the most out of the day - why should we let one bad moment effect us for the rest of the day? Carolyne made a very good point when speaking that we often remember all the bad things about what happened through our day, those are the bits that stick with us, but there are often so many good moments throughout that don't stick out as strong so we have to work on changing our mindset and remembering the good over the bad. 

Another talk that stood out for Hannah was from Chloe Hannigan with VetYogi, not only speaking through some of the things we do when it comes to holding stress in our bodies, but quick breathing excercises and chair yoga in small bursts when you have a moment on the desk to relax yourself and be able to check in with yourself. Chloe did remind us not to do the big heavy breathing in front of clients as it could be taken the wrong way, but being able to do that and check in at the front desk, can reduce our stress overall and hopefully we'll have a better, less stressful outlook when dealing with clients and their pets.

Hannah said:
"I thoroughly enjoy going along to Congress - this is my fifth year year and I always come away with a whole host of knowledge that I can then go and apply to my everyday job to make clients and their pets trips to see us better and less stressful. Having a good chunk of the talks this year focused on how to manage stressful and emotional situations is really good because often on reception, we're the first port of call for clients on rough days and sometimes it can be hard to remember to look after yourself, especially when it's really busy on the front desk!"

Nicky enjoyed the whole day and struggled to pick a favourite! One of her top talks was from Rebecca Maher from "Inside Minds." Rebecca talked about, "It's not about the money...until it is." Rebecca's talk was truly insightful and really made you think about what and how you say things to clients regarding the money aspect of their pets' care. She demonstrated how reframing a sentence can totally change someone else's thoughts and reactions. Definitely food for thought.

Another top talk was from Carolyne Crowe, who is an equine vet as well as a personal performance coach and mentor. Carolyne talked about "Thriving on the Front Line," and since we are on the front line, this was particularly interesting. She shared tips on how to thrive within our roles, how to prioritise the day to ensure less stress and increased productivity, and how not to dwell on a bad moment (which sometimes does happen). It is very easy to remember all the bad things about what happened through our day and focus on them rather than the good moments that have happened throughout the day. Another fantastic talk was from Chloe Hannigan with VetYogi, speaking about how we hold stress in our bodies and its effects She also guided us through some chair yogi and also meditation. She did remind us that striking a yogi pose or deep-stress breathing in front of a client might not be wise. 

Nicky said:
"I thoroughly enjoy going along to Congress - this was my first year and I came away with a lot of ideas and knowledge that I can use day to day to make clients/pet visit less stressful.This year conference was focused on how to deal with stressful and emotional situations to ensure that clients, pets and staff come away feeling like they mattered."

Hannah was invited along to the after-congress dinner and party, an incredible Masquerade Ball hosted at the hotel, where some very tasty food was had and lots of (possibly questionable) dance moves were done. The wonderful Electric Kicks played us off into the night which rounded up the day very nicely!