Fetch Kansas City expands CE options for 2026 conference
Bottom line
Fetch Kansas City is positioning its August 28-30, 2026 meeting as a broad continuing education event, with attendees able to earn up to 20 CE credits through more than 45 learning tracks and 80-plus sessions, including a new format of 30-minute sessions worth 0.5 credits each. The conference, organized by dvm360 at the Kansas City Convention Center, also includes hands-on labs in orthopedic procedures, three keynote presentations on mitral valve disease, feline infectious disease, and AI in pain management, plus the live Veterinary Heroes awards ceremony during Sunday lunch. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the update is less about a single marquee lecture and more about format. Shorter CE sessions may make it easier for clinicians, technicians, and managers to sample more topics in one trip, while the hands-on labs add practical training that many teams struggle to access locally. The conference’s pending RACE approval and mix of clinical, management, and networking programming suggest dvm360 is trying to widen the event’s appeal across the practice workforce, not just veterinarians. (dvm360.com)
What to watch: Watch for the final agenda and any added faculty or sessions, since organizers say the program is still being finalized. (registration.dvm360.com)
Fetch Kansas City is expanding how attendees can earn continuing education in 2026, with dvm360 promoting up to 20 CE credits, more than 45 learning tracks, and a new slate of 30-minute sessions designed to let veterinary professionals cover more ground during the August 28-30 conference in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will also serve as the setting for dvm360’s 6th Annual Veterinary Heroes awards ceremony, tying CE, recognition, and networking into one flagship meeting. (dvm360.com)
The format shift matters because conference organizers are responding to a familiar tension in veterinary CE: teams want practical, current education, but time away from the clinic is limited. According to the official registration site, the base program is set to provide 17 CE hours across three days, with sponsored meals bringing the possible total to 20. dvm360’s event page also says the conference agenda includes more than 80 sessions, suggesting the meeting is being built for choice and flexibility rather than a narrow single-track experience. (registration.dvm360.com)
Among the biggest changes is the introduction of 30-minute, 0.5-credit sessions, a shorter format that could help attendees mix clinical refreshers with management or wellness content in the same hour block. dvm360’s conference coverage also highlights three keynote presentations: Brian Scansen on mitral valve disease in primary care, Michael Lappin on feline infectious disease, and Michael Petty on how AI is changing pain detection and management. Together, those topics span bread-and-butter primary care, infectious disease updates, and emerging technology, which gives a good sense of the conference’s intended range. (dvm360.com)
The hands-on component is another notable draw. dvm360’s article spotlights two three-hour orthopedic labs, while the event page lists a third lab focused on regional analgesia of the head in dogs and cats. That practical training emphasis may be especially attractive for clinicians and technicians looking for skills they can translate directly into practice workflows, especially in areas like surgery and pain control where confidence often comes from supervised repetition rather than lecture alone. (dvm360.com)
The Veterinary Heroes ceremony adds a second layer to the meeting’s positioning. dvm360 announced in June that this year’s honorees, selected across 14 categories, will be recognized live at Fetch Kansas City on August 30. In comments included with the announcement, dvm360 executives framed the awards as a way to spotlight leadership, compassion, and measurable contributions to patient care and practice excellence. That kind of programming can strengthen attendance by giving teams a reason to come not only for CE, but also for professional recognition and community-building. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this conference is a useful signal about where live CE may be heading. Shorter sessions acknowledge that not every attendee wants a full hour on every topic, while hands-on labs and keynote anchors preserve depth where it counts. For practice leaders, the broader mix of veterinarians, technicians, managers, and support staff is also important: a conference that serves multiple roles can make it easier to justify sending a team instead of a single delegate. And because the event is still listed as pending RACE approval, practices that track CE closely will want to confirm final credit details before booking. (registration.dvm360.com)
What to watch: The next key milestone is the finalized agenda. Organizers say additional faculty and sessions are still being added, so the final program will show whether Fetch Kansas City leans more heavily into high-demand clinical specialties, workforce topics, or emerging tools like AI. Attendance patterns may also reveal whether shorter CE blocks become a durable model for future veterinary conferences. (registration.dvm360.com)