BVA Live

At BVA Live you can earn clinical and non-clinical CPD with a supplier exhibition running alongside, over two days at NEC Birmingham. BVA Live is a veterinary conference and exhibition run by CloserStill Media together with the British Veterinary Association (BVA), and the 2027 edition takes place on 11 and 12 March 2027 in Hall 2 of the NEC campus. It sits within the veterinary and animal health section and among the trade shows in Birmingham.

BVA Live 2027 dates and opening times

You get two show days, with doors open from 8:45am on both.

• Thursday 11 March 2027, 8:45am to 6pm
• Friday 12 March 2027, 8:45am to 5pm

You can arrive without a car, as the NEC says Birmingham International railway station is about a five-minute walk away, and Birmingham Airport is linked to that station by a free air-rail shuttle. If you drive, pre-paid parking is available through the NEC, and charges apply.

Who BVA Live is for

The event is aimed at your whole practice team, from newly qualified vets to experienced clinicians and those leading veterinary teams, according to the organiser. You can earn up to 17 hours of CPD for vets and vet nurses across the two days, and you receive a CPD certificate after the show. Staff of suppliers, manufacturers, consultancies, recruitment agencies, technology providers or training companies serving the sector must register as commercial delegates, the organiser states.

Conference programme

The 2027 programme lets you cover small and large animal clinical updates, nursing, diagnostics and referrals, debates, business and technology, according to the organiser. The published timetable is split across four streams:

• Clinical Theatres 1, 2 and 3, each listing 12 sessions
• The IDEXX Advanced Diagnostics Stream, listing 15 sessions

Published session topics include chronic musculoskeletal pain in cats, analgesia in rabbits, heat stroke in dogs and difficult dental extractions.

You can also hear a President’s welcome from BVA President Gwen Rees. Separate career and non-clinical sessions are also planned, and the BVA Interactive Zone lets you discuss current issues in the profession with the BVA President, Senior Vice President and Junior Vice Presidents.

Tickets and educational bursaries

You may be able to attend without paying the full fee, because BVA and CloserStill Media are funding 2,000 educational bursaries for 2027. UK veterinary professionals who have attended BVA Live or the London Vet Show (next held on 19 November 2026 at Excel London), BVA members, and those seeking financial aid may qualify. Other details as published:

• Full conference pass: £299 plus VAT, with a 50% discount for BVA members
• Commercial delegate pass: £669 plus VAT
• A conference pass covers the exhibition floor, every lecture theatre and online proceedings on both days, but not lunch
• Exhibition-only tickets for veterinary professionals are sold by phone
• Bursary passes not cancelled before 1 February 2027 carry a £99 plus VAT non-attendance fee if the holder does not attend
• Paid passes are refundable until 1 February 2027, less a 25% service charge

Show size and history

You can gauge the audience size, as the organiser reports more than 2,400 attendees at the 2026 edition, with 55% of delegates described as decision makers. A news item on the show site marks five years of BVA Live. The home page cites 125+ exhibitors and 2,500+ veterinary professionals, without stating a year.

What you get as a BVA Live exhibitor

Your stand space comes with a 50-word entry on the event website and app, exhibitor badges scaled to stand size, discounted conference passes to give to customers and three lead-scanning licences. The timetable helps you too, as the organiser says the conference sessions are staggered so that delegates move around the exhibition floor throughout the day. Two packages are offered:

• Shell scheme, with white modular back and side walls, a fascia board showing trading name and stand number, carpet and stand cleaning
• Space only, with no carpet

Our guide to shell scheme or space only compares the two options.

Other CloserStill shows

If you are comparing shows, CloserStill Media also runs the Therapy Show at the NEC from 25 November 2026 and The Pharmacy Show at the same venue from 10 October 2027. If your business is new to exhibiting, our notes on choosing your first UK trade show may help.

Source: bvalive.vetshow.com, bvalive.vetshow.com/qualifies-educational-bursary, bvalive.vetshow.com/exhibit, thenec.co.uk