Speaker Kit

Submission items & dates // Policies // Materials Guidelines

Submission Items & Dates

Please remember it is critical to submit all required materials by the designated deadlines shown below, so that OVMA has an adequate amount of time to prepare and promote your sessions and the Conference as a whole.

Official acceptance of your invitation to present at the MVC and acknowledgment of your speaking arrangements.

  • Contact information & credentials — Please provide your mailing address, phone number, and email address, as well as your name and credentials exactly as you'd like them to appear in MVC marketing materials.
  • Speaker agreement —The Speaker Contract provides all the details of your agreement to speak at the MVC, including:
    • Expected schedule: Agreed-upon date(s) and number of hours for speaker presentation(s).
    • Compensation and payment instructions
    • Travel & accommodations policy
    • Copyright acknowledgment
    • Third-party affiliations disclosure
    • Other general terms and conditions
    • NOTE: For complete details on the above-mentioned items, please see the "Policies" section below.

The primary MVC marketing piece is the Preliminary Program, which is sent to some 20,000 veterinary professionals in the fall. It includes detailed program information that will help potential attendees decide whether they will participate. Other marketing channels include social media, the MVC website, email marketing, and paid advertising.

  • Session titles & descriptions — A brief explanation of what your presentation(s) will consist of, the target audience(s), and knowledge/skill level.
  • Speaker biography and photograph — The speaker biography is a brief summary of your credentials and relevant accomplishments. It is used on the MVC website and Conference Proceedings, and is provided to your moderator to use in your session introduction.
  • NOTE: Please see "Materials Guidelines" section below to review instructions for composing your session titles, descriptions, and biography.

Review the travel arrangements covered in your speaker contract and make your flight arrangements (if required).

  • Method of transportation — Confirm whether you will be flying or driving to the MVC.
    • If you are flying, your flight request should be submitted via the MVC's travel platform by the above date. More information will be provided via email to eligible speakers.
  • Hotel reservation request (Eligible speakers) — Review the allotted hotel nights covered in the Speaker Contract.
    • If you wish to adjust your arrival and/or departure dates, please contact Ashley Sweet directly.
  • NOTE: Please see "Policies" section below to review the MVC's travel and accommodations policy.

Upload your Conference proceedings materials and review the audio/visual set.

  • PowerPoint Presentations & Scientific Notes — Year after year, attendees state that having access to speaker presentations and notes is highly important to them, both during the MVC and after. As such, we strongly encourage you to submit these documents for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings.
    • NOTE: Please see "Materials Guidelines" section below to review instructions for formatting and submitting your proceedings materials.
  • Audio/visual equipment list & request — Request any additional A/V needs and acknowledge that you will bring your presentations on a USB flash drive. The standard A/V set includes:
    • Podium microphone
    • Wireless lavalier microphone
    • LCD projector and screen
    • Slide advancer/laser pointer
    • Windows-based laptop computer

Policies

The following policies are covered in your speaker agreement.

Honorarium

Speakers will be paid an honorarium of $450 per hour of in-person presentation and submission of PowerPoint Presentation(s) and/or Scientific Notes.

Registration

  • Speaking 3+ hours — Receive full hybrid registration (3 days in person + virtual)
  • Speaking less than 3 hours — Receive in-person registration on day of presentation, plus access to the virtual MVC
    • Upgrade to full hybrid for $100

Speakers who are driving to the MVC

  • Speaking less than 2 hours
    • No mileage reimbursement
    • $25 stipend
    • Parking voucher
  • Speaking 2–4 hours
    • Mileage reimbursement up to $400
    • $50 stipend
    • Parking voucher
  • Speaking 4+ hours
    • Mileage reimbursement up to $400
    • $75 stipend
    • Parking voucher

Speakers who are flying to the MVC

  • Speaking up to 5 hours — $125 stipend
  • Speaking more than to 5 hours — $150 stipend

Speaker hotel nights will be based on number of hours they are speaking, distance they are traveling, and speaker comfort/safety. Generally, this equates to the following:

  • Speaking 3+ hours — Eligible for one (1) hotel night
  • Out of state — Eligible for two (2) hotel nights
  • Schedule depending — 2+ hours of travel away eligible for one (1) hotel night

Speakers will cover the costs of any incidentals and additional nights beyond what is designated in the contract.

  • All speakers — Access to coffee stations and speaker lunch room on day(s) they are presenting
  • Speaking 6+ hours — Will receive one (1) meal voucher for breakfast at the Hyatt/GCCC

MVC endeavors to provide a session moderator for every session presented at the MVC. You do not need to request a moderator in advance.

OVMA requests that speakers disclose any affiliation with and/or financial interest in any companies/products related to the veterinary industry outside of their current employer. Identification of such is simply to make MVC attendees aware in the interest of transparency.

Speakers should avoid promoting and/or favoring the companies with which they are affiliated in their presentations and conference proceedings materials.

If Speaker is invited and consents to include their presentations in the virtual portion of the program, all rights to the recorded educational material belong to MVC and host OVMA. Speaker can request recordings for promotional and portfolio options only, not for reuse or resale. OVMA reserves the right to review and approve or deny such requests.

Materials Guidelines

Please use the following guidelines when formatting your materials to ensure everything meets MVC's style standards and space restrictions.

Title Guidelines

  • Session titles should be brief but specific. If you will be covering a broad topic, add a few words to your title to narrow down the scope.
  • Please use title case (capitalize important and longer words; lowercase short words and prepositions).
  • Session titles should be no more than 80 characters (including spaces and punctuation) per one-hour session. Half-hour sessions should be no more than 40 characters.

Examples

✖ Service Animals
✔ Service Animals: What is the Veterinarian's Role? (49 characters)

✖ Backyard Poultry
✔ Backyard Poultry: Individual Medicine and Surgery (49 characters)

✖ Tracheal Collapse Syndrome
✔ Treatment Strategies for Tracheal Collapse Syndrome (51 characters)

Please note, OVMA reserves the right to edit your titles for length, clarity, and/or style.

Biography Guidelines

Your bio will be included alongside your photo (if submitted) on the MVC website and mobile app. Your session moderator will also use your submitted bio to introduce you.

  • Please limit the information included in your biography to professional details, such as:
    • Post-secondary education, internships, and residencies
    • Relevant employment
    • Organization memberships
    • Awards & recognitions
  • Biographies should be written in third person.
  • The maximum length is 150 words. When filling out the form, please re-read your entry before submitting to ensure nothing is cut off.

Photographs

  • Speaker photographs are encouraged but not required.
  • Your photo will be included in the speaker list on both the MVC website and in the mobile app.
  • Please submit a high-quality image of at least 200 dpi resolution.
  • Professional headshots are preferred. If you do not have one, you may submit a personal photo with other people/extraneous details cropped out.

For examples, please see the 2023 MVC Speaker List.

Please note, OVMA reserves the right to edit your biography for length, clarity, and/or style.

Description Guidelines

  • Summarize your presentation in 3-5 sentences consisting of up to 125 words total.
  • Descriptions should be succinct but detailed enough to give attendees an accurate idea of what will be covered in your session(s).
  • Tell attendees exactly what they can expect to learn, while keeping background information to a minimum.
  • Third person, future tense preferred. (e.g., In this session, the speaker will cover... )
  • Spell out acronyms on first reference unless widely known to intended audience.

Multi-Hour Sessions

Sessions that take up more than a single 60-minute time block can be handled in the following ways:

  • Use the same title for each session, but add "Part I," "Part II," etc. The description can either give an overview of all parts or individualized for each hour.
  • Break the multi-hour session into separate segments with different titles and descriptions. You may or may not wish to use "Part I," "Part II," etc.
  • See below for examples.

Examples

The Institute of Veterinary Medical Devices (IVMD) approved widgets in 1950, but it wasn't until 2000 that veterinarians began using them. In this session, attendees will learn what widgets are, how widgets can help them in their day-to-day practice, and why IVMD prefers widgets over thingies and whosits.
(48 words)

A recent study found that 98 percent of people have trouble bonding with their pet fish. Despite attempts to snuggle or take them on walks, most fish refuse to love their owners—some even playing dead to avoid together time. In this lecture, participants will discover how to overcome brain chemistry that prevents fish from reciprocating owners' love and practice conversing with fish in a way that helps them bond. Attendees will also hear arguments for and against popular bonding activities (e.g., going to the park, taking a train ride, etc.) and learn when not to attempt bonding with pet fish. (Spoiler alert: Pirhanas!)
(104 words)

Audience & Level

For each session, please designate which audience(s) and skill/knowledge level(s) the presentation is geared toward. This helps attendees choose sessions that best fit their education and experience.

  • V = Veterinarians
  • T = Technicians
  • MO = Managers & Owners
  • HS = Hospital Staff
  • SS = Shelter Staff
  • BT = Behaviorists & Trainers
  • 1 = Beginner
  • 2 = Intermediate
  • 3 = Advanced

Please note, OVMA reserves the right to edit your descriptions for length, clarity, and/or style.

Presentation Guidelines

  • Use a common font, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, Verdana or Trebuchet MS, to ensure your presentation displays correctly. Make sure the font you select is easy to read.
  • Please do not insert company logos or otherwise promote specific companies, products, and/or services, unless doing so has an educational value.
    • If your sessions are sponsored and you would like to recognize the sponsoring company on a slide in your presentation, please contact us for a logo.
  • Keep in mind that OVMA staff may have edited your submitted titles, so please refer to the Registration Program when composing your presentation title slide to ensure consistency.
  • Using a light background with dark/bold text will improve readability and ensure your presentation is legible on all formats and sizes (mobile phone, printed, etc.).
  • Save your presentation as a .ppt or .pptx file before uploading. Doing so allows OVMA to convert your presentation to several different versions for the conference proceedings.
  • Follow this format for naming your files:
    SessionNumber-Slides.ppt/pptx
    (eg: 100-Slides.ppt)
  • The maximum file size is 250 MB. If your PowerPoint is too large to upload, you may submit BOTH of the following in lieu of a .ppt or .pptx:
    • Full-color, full-size slides in PDF format, AND
    • Black-and-white, three-up with notes section in PDF format

MVC Presentation Templates

We encourage you to use the official MVC slide template to simplify the process of building your presentation. Click below to download your preferred version.

Document Setup

  • Margins: No less than 1 inch on all sides.
  • Number of Pages: We recommend no more than 10 pages per hour of lecture.
  • Session Title: Insert at the top of the first page in all caps, bold, and centered on the first line.
    • Keep in mind that OVMA staff may have edited your submitted titles, so please refer to the Registration Program when composing your notes to ensure consistency.
  • File Extension: Save your file as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), rich text (.rtf), or PDF (.pdf) document.
  • Document Naming Convention: Follow this format for naming your files: SessionNumber-Notes
    (eg: 100-Notes.doc)

Formatting

  • Font: Use a common, easy-to-read font. These fonts are standard on most computers.
  • Font sizes: Use the guidelines below when setting the point size of your text.
    • Session Title: 14-point font or higher*
    • Byline: Skip a line after the title and insert your byline in 12-point*, title case, italic text.
    • Body Text: Use 10- or 11-point font*, single spacing for paragraphs.
  • Graphics: Please do not insert logos or otherwise promote specific companies, products, and/or services, unless doing so has an educational value.

*Readability can vary by font family, so 12-pt. text in one typeface may be readable whereas 12 pt. in another may not. Please use the above general guidelines and your best judgment when setting type sizes.

Other Supplemental Documents

If your presentation does not warrant scientific notes, you are welcome to include other documents, provided they are not commercial in nature. Please combine all supplemental materials into one file prior to uploading.