AAFP Event Policies and Attendee Guidelines

To help ensure all attendees have a pleasant conference experience, we ask you to please read through and abide by our conference policies and attendee guidelines. When you register for and/or attend an AAFP event, you agree to the following terms, which constitutes an agreement between you and the AAFP. This policy is binding upon all registrants and attendees, including, but not limited to, their agents, employees, guests, and representatives who may attend an AAFP event.

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Event Policies and Guidelines | Event Code of Conduct | Cancellation and Refunds | Food Allergies | ADA Accommodations | Children in Sessions | Onsite Animals | Consent to Use Photographic Images or Video

Event Policies and Guidelines

• All attendees must be registered for the AAFP event or have a guest badge.
• Event guest badges for friends or family who are not affiliated with the veterinary industry can be purchased at the Registration Desk.
• Attendees, guests, exhibitors, sponsors, media, staff, and all others associated with the event must wear their name badge at all times throughout the conference. You may not enter any part of the Conference without a name badge.
• Please be respectful and do not disrupt presentations, sessions, speakers, workshops, or special events.
• During the Q&A portion of sessions, please keep to the topic at hand and save very specific cases or questions for individual follow-up with the presenter after the session. Please move to the microphone so everyone can hear your question.
• The recording or transmission of any educational session, presentations, demos, or videos without written permission from the AAFP is strictly prohibited.

Event Code of Conduct

The AAFP is dedicated to providing a safe and productive environment for everyone attending our events, as reflected in the AAFP Core Values. We believe that a community where individuals feel uncomfortable or threatened is neither healthy nor productive, and will not be tolerated. The AAFP expects all event attendees (either virtual or in-person) to use professional behavior and treat each other with kindness and civility. We expect participants at any AAFP event to abide by this Code of Conduct in all venues, including ancillary events and official and unofficial social gatherings.

Therefore, the AAFP prohibits intimidating, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, or demeaning speech and/or conduct at our events. This policy applies to attendees, speakers, staff, volunteers, media, venue staff, guests, and exhibitors. Event participants violating these rules may be reprimanded or expelled from the conference, at the discretion of AAFP leadership.

Harassment of event participants will not be tolerated in any form. Harassment includes, but is not limited to offensive gestures or verbal comments, inappropriate or intimidating behavior and language, unwelcome jokes or comments, stalking, offensive images, photography without permission, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If any event participant or exhibitor engages in harassing behavior, the AAFP leadership may take any action they deem appropriate. If needed, the AAFP reserves the right to expel anyone from current and future AAFP events. The AAFP will have no liability in connection with such an expulsion, and there will be no refund or compensation of any kind associated therewith.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact AAFP staff who will work with appropriate AAFP leadership and local law enforcement to resolve the situation.

We value your attendance and want to make your experience as productive and professionally stimulating as possible.

Cancellations and Refunds

Registration fees for virtual registration are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend the live streamed sessions, they will be recorded and available for viewing on-demand until June 30, 2023.

Cancellation of in-person registration will still allow you to have virtual access to live-streaming and/or on-demand access for the 2023 Annual Conference through May 31, 2024. For in-person attendees, cancellations received by Friday, September 15, 2023 will receive a refund of the difference between the in-person rate and virtual rate. In-person registration cancellation received after Friday, September 23, 2022 will not be eligible for refunds. Please note if you cancel your conference registration, it does not constitute cancellation of your hotel reservation.

Food Allergies

The AAFP will work closely with the venue to create menus that can be enjoyed by all attendees while keeping in mind the most common food allergies and restrictions including vegetarian and vegan options, and nut and seafood allergies. If you have a food allergy or dietary restriction, please note this when registering for the conference or email conference@catvets.com. We can work closely with the event venue to create meals that accommodate individual restrictions with proper advanced notice. Please note, onsite orders cannot be accommodated.

Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodations

If you need special accommodations for a disability or special need, please note this when registering for the conference under the ADA section or email conference@catvets.com.

Children in Sessions

Children are welcome to walk in the exhibit hall with their parent/guardian as long as they are supervised, and be in the public spaces of the conference space. Children are not permitted in the educational session rooms. Children are also not to participate in meals unless the parent/guardian has purchased a Guest Pass or Guest Ticket for that child. If children are left unsupervised or are causing a disruption, we may require the parent/guardian to move them out of the conference space.

Onsite Animals

The AAFP supports the humane use of animals for exhibition and teaching purposes in accordance with existing federal, state, provincial, and local animal protection laws. If animals are to be used for exhibition or workshops, every effort should be made to ensure there is a benefit to the use of live animals as compared to alternatives such as video, models, etc. In the event that it is decided that live animals will be required, they need to be used and housed in such a way that they are free from distress, and their welfare needs must be met.

Any animals not related to the exhibition or workshops are limited to attendee, speaker, and exhibitor service and emotional support animals only. The AAFP complies with requirements for service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, for dogs who are trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.

For any animals which are not service animals:

• All animals must be under their handler's control at all times, preferably leashed, as verbal control may not always be effective in some circumstances. They must not be distracting to other attendees or speakers. No animal may be at the food buffets or in workshops unless they are coordinated by the AAFP for participation in the Workshop. Handlers will be asked to remove their animal from the event if they cannot follow the Conference Policy or if they pose a risk to others. We ask that attendees and exhibitors respect the health and wellbeing of other attendees, some of whom may have allergies or other health issues that animals may impact.

• As this is a feline conference, the welfare needs and reduction of stress to all cats including those present for workshops or exhibits are a high priority. Animals should not approach or be near other cats in the exhibit hall booths or in workshops. If animals do encounter cats at exhibit booths, the non-exhibit animal(s) must promptly be removed from that location and proximity of the other cat(s).

• Every venue is different when it comes to allowing animals onsite, depending on federal, state, and local regulations, as well as the hotel or conference venue space requirements Attendees must check directly with the hotels to ensure they are pet-friendly and must follow all hotel policies. Attendees also agree to follow all conference venue policies relating to animals onsite and must contact the AAFP conference team in advance planning to bring a service animal to the Conference. Paperwork, including emotional support animal certification documentation, may need to be submitted prior to the conference in order for the animal to come onsite. Thank you for your cooperation.

Consent to Use Photographic Images

Registration and attendance at, or participation in, the AAFP Conference and other activities constitutes an agreement by the registrant to AAFP's use and distribution (both now and in the future) of the registrant or attendee's image or voice in photographs, video, electronic reproductions, marketing efforts and materials, and audiotapes of such events and activities.