The WVC Vegas Strategy Nobody Talks About (But Should)

You survived four days of back-to-back lectures. Your tote bag is stuffed with vendor swag. Your phone is full of slide photos you'll never look at again. You fly home exhausted, immediately get slammed with appointments and surgeries, and within two weeks you can't remember a single thing you learned at WVC Vegas.

Sound familiar?

Dr. Jessica Trice, the co-founder of Vetique Chicago and Vet Candy WVC Vegas Ambassador, sees this pattern constantly. Veterinarians invest time and money into conference education, then fail to actually implement anything they learned.

"The conference itself is only half the equation," Dr. Trice says. "What you do before, during, and especially after WVC Vegas determines whether those CE hours actually improve your clinical skills or just pad your license renewal requirements."

If you want your WVC Vegas education to actually matter, Dr. Trice has strategies that go beyond just attending sessions.

Don't Ignore the Non-Clinical Sessions

While Dr. Trice prioritizes clinical education, she also recognizes the value of sessions on practice management, communication, and wellness.

"You can be the best clinician in the world, but if you can't communicate with clients, manage your team, or avoid burning out, your clinical skills don't matter," she points out.

She recommends dedicating at least one session per day to non-clinical topics.

"Last conference, I went to a session on having difficult conversations with clients about euthanasia," Dr. Trice shares. "It wasn't about medicine at all, but it made me a better veterinarian. I use those communication frameworks every single week."

Business management sessions might feel less exciting than learning a new surgical technique, but they can transform your entire practice experience.

"A session on team leadership changed how I interact with my support staff," Dr. Trice notes. "That improved workflow, reduced miscommunication, and made everyone's job easier. That's just as valuable as clinical knowledge."

Use the Exhibit Hall as an Extension of Your Education

The exhibit hall isn't just for free pens and stress balls. It's also a learning opportunity.

"Talk to the reps about new products, diagnostic tools, and treatment options," Dr. Trice advises. "They can give you product demonstrations, explain how new technology works, and answer questions about implementation."

She recommends identifying specific companies or products you want to learn more about before the conference, then making a point to have in-depth conversations at their booths.

"I learned about a new dental radiography system from spending 15 minutes at a booth talking with a rep who actually understood the technology," Dr. Trice says. "That conversation led to our practice upgrading our equipment, which has improved our diagnostic capabilities for every dental patient."

The key is approaching the exhibit hall with intention rather than just wandering aimlessly.

"Make a list of diagnostic tools you're curious about, treatment protocols you want to improve, or practice management software you've been considering," she suggests. "Then go find those specific booths and have real conversations. That's how you turn vendor interactions into genuine learning opportunities."

Plan for Post-Conference Implementation (This Is the Most Important Part)

The learning doesn't stop when the conference ends. In fact, that's when the real work begins.

"Before you leave Vegas, sit down and make a concrete plan for how you're going to implement what you learned," Dr. Trice recommends. "Don't just say 'I'm going to get better at dentistry.' Say 'I'm going to implement this specific dental grading system, order these two pieces of equipment, and schedule a lunch-and-learn with my team to review new protocols.'"

She suggests blocking time on your calendar in the weeks after the conference to review notes, research topics further, and actually change your clinical protocols.

"I schedule a 'WVC debrief' meeting with myself for the Monday after I get back," Dr. Trice explains. "I spend two hours reviewing my notes, prioritizing action items, and creating a 30-60-90 day implementation plan. Without that dedicated time, conference learning just evaporates."

Her implementation strategy includes:

• Immediate changes (protocols you can start using this week)

• Short-term goals (equipment or resources to order within 30 days)

• Long-term development (skills that require ongoing practice or additional training)

Do a Team Presentation When You Get Back

One of the best ways to solidify your conference learning? Teach it to someone else.

"I always do a team presentation within two weeks of returning from a conference," Dr. Trice says. "I pick the top three clinical pearls or protocol changes and do a 30-minute lunch-and-learn with my support staff."

This serves multiple purposes. It forces you to organize and synthesize what you learned. It brings your team up to speed on new approaches so they can support implementation. And it creates accountability for actually using your conference education.

"My team knows I'm going to present what I learned, so I can't just come back and pretend the conference never happened," Dr. Trice notes. "That external accountability helps me stay committed to implementation."

She also recommends creating written protocols or reference sheets for your team based on conference learning.

"After a dentistry-focused conference, I created a one-page dental grading reference sheet for my technicians based on what I learned," she shares. "Now we all use the same terminology and approach. That consistency improves patient care."

Connect With Other Education Nerds

One of the best parts of WVC Vegas is finding your people, the veterinarians who are just as excited about learning as you are.

"The Vet Candy meetup is great for this because you're meeting other young veterinarians who are hungry to improve their skills," Dr. Trice notes. "Exchange contact information with people who attended the same sessions. Create a group chat where you can share resources and discuss cases after the conference."

She also recommends following speakers and educators on social media after the conference to continue learning from them.

"Some of my ongoing mentorship relationships started because I asked a thoughtful question after a conference session, then stayed connected with that person online," Dr. Trice says. "Conference education doesn't have to be a one-time event. It can be the beginning of long-term learning relationships."

These connections also create accountability for implementation.

"When you have a group of veterinarians who all learned the same new technique, you can check in with each other about how implementation is going," Dr. Trice explains. "You can troubleshoot challenges together, share success stories, and motivate each other to actually use what you learned."

Give Yourself Permission to Prioritize Learning Over Networking

Here's Dr. Trice's most controversial take: it's okay to skip some of the social events if you need time to process what you're learning.

"Everyone tells you to network constantly at conferences, and networking is valuable," she acknowledges. "But if you're genuinely at WVC Vegas to improve your clinical skills, sometimes the best use of your evening is reviewing your notes, reading the studies mentioned in sessions, and preparing questions for tomorrow's lectures."

She emphasizes that learning is a valid priority.

"You don't have to do everything," Dr. Trice says. "If your goal is education, honor that goal. Skip the happy hour if you need quiet time to study. Your career will benefit more from you becoming a better clinician than from collecting business cards at every social event."

This doesn't mean becoming a hermit. It means being intentional about how you spend your limited energy.

"I usually do one or two social events during a conference, but I also protect evenings for note review and self-study," Dr. Trice explains. "That balance works for me. Figure out what balance works for you."

Measure Your Progress

Here's how Dr. Trice knows if conference education actually worked: she tracks specific metrics before and after implementation.

"If I went to WVC Vegas to improve my dentistry skills, I track how many dental procedures I'm performing per month, what grades I'm diagnosing, and my client acceptance rate for dental recommendations," she says. "If those numbers improve over the next six months, I know the conference education made a real difference."

For communication skills, she might track client satisfaction scores or the number of difficult conversations that go smoothly. For diagnostic skills, she tracks case outcomes or how often she reaches a definitive diagnosis.

"Data keeps you honest about whether you're actually implementing what you learned," Dr. Trice notes. "It's easy to feel like you learned a lot without changing anything. Metrics show you the truth."

Remember: Education Is a Long Game

Dr. Trice's final reminder: conference education compounds over time.

"One session at one conference might not revolutionize your practice," she says. "But attending thoughtfully, taking good notes, asking questions, and actually implementing what you learn, year after year? That's how you become an excellent clinician."

She encourages veterinarians to view WVC Vegas as one piece of a larger continuing education strategy.

"The speakers whose lectures resonate with you? Follow their work. Read their publications. Take their online courses. Attend their sessions at future conferences," Dr. Trice suggests. "Deep learning happens when you engage with educators and topics repeatedly over time, not from a single 50-minute lecture."

The Bottom Line

The real work of conference education happens after you leave Las Vegas. Review your notes. Make a concrete implementation plan. Teach your team what you learned. Connect with other learning-focused veterinarians. Track your progress.

WVC Vegas 2026 can genuinely transform your clinical skills and your practice. But only if you do the work that comes after the conference ends.

Want to connect with Dr. Jessica Trice and other education-focused veterinarians at WVC Vegas 2026? Follow @myvetcandy for conference coverage and to connect with all four Vet Candy ambassadors on the ground.