NAVC's Veterinary Meeting And Expo (VMX) Launches Breakthrough Virtual Expo Hall

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) today announced VMX Virtual, a 3D, immersive and interactive platform that will help transform the trade show industry experience, connecting conference exhibitors and attendees 24/7, 365 days a year. VMX Virtual introduces advanced gamification and simulation technology and applies it for the first time to the virtual trade show industry. With companies spending $97 billion a year on trade show exhibitions in the U.S., this "On-Demand" platform provides a new way to reach and engage customers and opens the door for conference attendees to see everything they want, spend quality time at each exhibit, and expand the number of employees that can affordably "attend" and experience a trade show.

VMX, the world's largest and most comprehensive veterinary conference with more than 700 exhibiting companies and 17,000 attendees from 80 countries, opens its virtual exhibit expo hall to the veterinary community with long-time industry partner Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. as its inaugural VMX Virtual Exhibitor. VMX Virtual is not a replacement for the live exhibitions, but rather an extension and additional year-round engagement opportunity for both exhibitors and attendees. The NAVC is the first to introduce this capability in the veterinary field.

VMX Virtual creates a unique trade show experience of feeling "virtually there" by incorporating advanced gamification and simulation technology developed by Simulocity, LLC. Visitors can digitally move through the VMX Expo Hall and experience the entirety of an exhibiting company's virtual booth, talk live with company representatives, view and download content, watch webinars and videos and even load up on all the free giveaways.

"VMX Virtual is truly the next generation of trade shows, affording participating companies an avenue to better engage with their customers all year long and allowing conference attendees the opportunity to maximize their trade show experience," said NAVC interim CEO Eugene O'Neill. "People and companies spend thousands to millions of dollars each year going to trade shows or sponsoring exhibits. VMX Virtual lets them get more out of their investment all year long."

The virtual booth platform enables people to search by products, services, and content, bringing exhibits of interest directly to them, rather than having to walk the entire exhibition hall seeking booths of interest. A virtual concierge is available to help guide visitors through the virtual expo hall. Visitors to the VMX Virtual exhibit booths can also add content to their "virtual backpack" where it can be saved, organized and categorized to share with other members of their practice and to refer back to at any time. Exhibit sponsors get to spend quality time with people who are interested in them and through the platform's robust analytics, follow up with visitors. 

VMX Virtual is powered by a highly sophisticated and award-winning technology company, Simulocity, LLC. Simulocity was founded by Dr. Manny Dominguez, a former CIO for the U.S. Air Force's Global Medical Modeling & Simulation Program and architect of a virtual reality-based hospital for the U.S. military. He is a pioneer in the areas of simulation technology, gamification, and immersive platforms. As CEO of Simulocity, he's led the organization to numerous industry awards including Top 10 Simulation Solutions Provider.

Hill's will use the VMX Virtual platform to showcase their products, such as the Hill's® Prescription Diet® therapeutic pet foods, Hill's® Science Diet®, Hill's® Bioactive Recipe, and Hill's® Healthy Advantage year-round.

The NAVC provides continuing education and training to more than 500,000 veterinary professionals each year through a variety of initiatives. VMX, its largest program, was recognized as one of the Trade Show Executive Gold 100 and Trade Show Executive's Fastest 50 this year which recognized it as "One of the Elite Events" of 2018.

About the NAVC
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with offices in Gainesville, Florida, the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a non-profit organization providing world-class professional development to the global veterinary healthcare community. Its largest initiative, VMX, hosts thousands of veterinary professionals each year. Other offerings include VetFolio, an online CE platform in conjunction with LifeLearn Animal Health; the NAVC Institute; the Veterinary Innovation Council; an Industry Services Division; NAVC Retriever, a veterinary recruitment platform and job search app; and its Media division, consisting of: Today's Veterinary Business, Today's Veterinary Nurse, Today's Veterinary Practice, Veterinary Advantage and an online news and lifestyle channel, Spark! In 2018, the NAVC launched its Certifications division including the Human-Animal Bond Certification and added the Veterinary Business Leader Certification and the Pet Nutrition Coach Certification in 2019. Visit NAVC for more details.

About Simulocity
Located in Central Florida, Simulocity is an award-winning, innovative technology company. Simulocity specializes in providing global customers with the virtual platforms for training, education, healthcare and the trade show industry. With its expert team of technologists, strategic partners and alliances, Team Simulocity develops world-class applications for businesses, including intelligent avatars that serve as virtual concierges, serious games for training in various sectors, and SIMCITA – "The Platform that Virtualizes Your Organization."  In addition, Simulocity developed SIM-EXPO – "Be Virtually There!", tailored to the trade show industry. Visit Simulocity for more information.

SOURCE North American Veterinary Community