The show floor at VMX is alive with the sounds of cats purring, puppies barking and djs jamming. But this year, the Veterinary Meeting & Expo embraced a buzzy art theme that gave exhibitors a creative license to experiment. Around the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, 735 exhibits drew attendees in with crafts, paintings, photo ops, swag, animal meet-and-greets and relaxation areas, all mapping back to the show’s “Festival of the HeARTS” theme.
VMX 2025 welcomed a record-breaking 30,000 attendees—a number that has grown by more than 60 percent in five years. Joe Sorrentino, chief events officer for the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), says the organization is leaning more into experiential with engaging activations around the hall to separate VMX from the traditional medical conference format.
“We’re trying to create spaces and experiences where attendees are immersed in their passion and activities outside of just education,” he says. “‘Festival of the HeARTS’ is the blending of science and the heart people have for the profession, but there are also other elements tied to well-being, like the Zen Garden, yoga with goats, the Puppy Playground and the Cat Nap Café… We go outside of the industry to other events like SXSW to find out how we can bring that type of experience to VMX.”
Here, we round up some of the best ideas from the show floor to inspire creative and, perhaps, cuddly moments at your next b-to-b event.
The Widest Aisles
The first thing we noticed stepping onto the VMX show floor was how wide the aisles were. There was plenty of room to “ooh” and “aah” at the surrounding booths without worrying about bumping into someone, or pull over to have a conversation with colleagues and fellow attendees. And the aisles had names: Main Street, Midway, Discovery Drive, Community Way and Inspiration Lane. NAVC even set up a shuttle service of golf cart trolleys that roamed the main aisles, stopping at designated “bus stops” to speedily transport attendees from one end of the hall to the other.
One Way in, One Way Out
Some of the bigger booths at VMX, including those from Chewy Health and Merck, were enclosed with one way in and one way out. Even if they didn’t have walls up, brand ambassadors directed attendees to enter a certain way rather than allowing traffic in from all angles. The reason behind this was data capture. In order to enter a booth, attendees usually had to fill out a digital form or scan their badge, and then they were guided through a spiel or presentation on the exhibiting company and its products.
Exploration within the booths was limited. Once participants completed the in-booth activity or tour, they were led to the exit. But attendees were willing to wait for a chance to get in, and lines wrapped around booths, especially the ones offering premium prizes and giveaways.
New Product Gallery
To drive attention to the New Product Gallery of 32 innovations, NAVC set up a tunnel that encouraged attendees to “explore and vote.” Inside, the brands and products were displayed on individual posters, hung up and illuminated as if they were in an art gallery, and in the center was a candy dispenser. Tubes containing different candies represented each of the new products. Attendees could take a cup and fill it with candy, casting a vote for their favorite products with their selections. We found that they were more choosing the candies they wanted to eat rather than the products they wanted to vote for, but it was a sweet idea and a nice treat.
Collaborative Art Pieces
True to the “Festival of the HeARTS” theme, NAVC invited attendees to contribute to large art pieces and installations. On the concourse of the convention center were several pet-themed line-art displays that passersby could color in with markers for a little “color therapy” or write their thoughts on a butterfly to stick onto a heart-shaped tree collage. At the entrance of the show floor, an installation of large white VMX letters was available for attendees to sign and write on, and they certainly left their mark. By day two of the show, there was hardly any white space left—lots of hearts, names and “best team ever” messages.
Moments of Zen
We’d designate “Zen” as a secondary theme at the event. Tucked away in an outer corner of the show floor, the Elanco Zen Garden offered a quiet spot for attendees to unwind with yoga, meditation and art therapy sessions. The greenery-covered space was split into three zones. In the crafting area, tables were set up to host a different activity each day. Participants made flower headbands, floral bracelets, lanyard flower clips and moss dog print keepsakes.
Next door, a wood beam-enclosed room was designated for “wake up” yoga, meditation and digestive yoga. When sessions were running, curtains printed with “Shhh… Zen in progress” messaging were draped over the room’s front openings. Lastly, attendees could chill out in a forest-inspired space, adorned with cutouts of trees, plants and dogs. A large bowl filled with sand was available for attendees to peacefully rake around.
Purina Pro Plan’s Infinite Impact exhibit on the concourse offered attendees hand massages and a place for them to sit and charge their phones. Once they were powered up, they could explore Purina’s hall of mirrors for a reflective experience.
Swag for Time and Attention
At VMX, exhibitors made attendees work for their swag, and there were hardly any opportunities to pick up freebies. Attendees had to sign up for an in-booth scavenger hunt, sit in on a theater presentation or take part in a quiz game to be awarded a giveaway or enter to win a grand prize like a stethoscope or a Nintendo Switch.
We saw lots of passports, as participants made their way around booth stations, collecting stamps or tokens. Insiders told us tote bags are always the No. 1 most-sought-after swag item at VMX, and exhibitors came prepared. We can attest to seeing attendees sporting a variety of branded totes on the floor. (Learn more about “swag-tivities” in our recent Trend of the Week.) And fun fact: Attendees were very excited to get AI portraits of their pets, waiting 25 minutes at Merck’s booth to get a printout of a portrait.
Talk about a work of art.
BONUS: Design Inspiration
Among top booths on the expo floor was Boehringer Ingelheim’s Gard Yard, which transported attendees to a neighborhood park popped up right on the show floor. Attendees were welcomed in by multicolored pennant banners, lamp posts, park benches, potted plants and trees, marshmallow and lemonade carts, and a hanging inflatable blimp. The floor was made up of grassy carpet, a street, and sidewalks with paw prints and hopscotch chalk outlines, while building façades lined one of the perimeter walls. NexGard branding was worked into the space and down Next-Level Lane. Attendees could wait in a long line to “chews” a Gard Yard design to print on their own custom t-shirt. Luckily, a dj was keeping the energy up.
