CONFERENCE AUDIENCE
The conference allows hundreds of animal welfare professionals to connect, share, and work together to improve the lives of pets and people in their communities. Participants come from all aspects of animal welfare including municipal shelters, private shelters, rescue groups, veterinary clinics, law enforcement agencies and others. Our attendees have a variety of backgrounds and experience levels including animal control officers, executive leadership, shelter management, shelter front-line staff, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, board members, volunteers and more.
WORKSHOPS
New for 2025! We are seeking proposals with content that can be applied to shelters and programs of all sizes to create a track called “Big Ideas for Both Big and Small Shelters”. These would be innovative ideas and programs with implementation that is scalable in both size and cost.
Workshop proposals may be submitted on any aspect of animal welfare. Texas Unites traditionally offers content in the following areas:
- Shelter Medicine
- Dog and Cat Behavior
- Placement & Shelter Programs
- Community Outreach & Marketing
- Field Services & Investigations
- Leadership
- Collaboration & Partnerships
- Animal Law & Advocacy
SPEAKERS
Presenters may range from industry leaders to those on the front lines, sharing their first-hand experience.
To be considered as a speaker, your program must be educational in nature. Your material should be original; otherwise, sources must be referenced.
While some topics may be challenging and provide an opportunity for lively discussion, your content must be respectful and appropriate for all participants in the animal welfare community.
To keep the conference accessible and costs low for all of our participants, Texas Unites does not pay speaking fees or travel expenses for speakers. If selected as a conference speaker, you will gain visibility in the industry and contribute to the advancement of our profession. Speakers are provided a complimentary conference registration that includes several meals and entry to workshops and special events.
SESSION PROPOSAL & FORMAT
Proposals will be accepted now through October 11, 2024. Presentations should last one hour. Multi-session and multi-speaker presentations are welcome. Please submit your proposal using our online form. You will be asked to attach the following:
- One-paragraph workshop description
- One-paragraph bio for each speaker in the presentation
- Headshot for each speaker in the presentation
- List of previous events or groups for which you have spoken
SELECTION PROCESS
Proposals are reviewed by a committee of animal welfare professionals from across the state. You will be notified of the status of your proposal by the end of December.
POPULAR SESSION TOPICS
Looking for inspiration? Our most frequently requested topics include:
- Field services issues and resources
- Rescue/foster-based topics and resources
- Adoption and other shelter-based programs
- Inter-agency relationships
- Public relations and the media
- Health and herd management
- Cruelty investigations and prosecutions
- Cat/dog behavior and handling
- Community outreach and pet retention
- Staff development and team-building resources
- Expanding your social media/digital audience
- Disease prevention and treatments
- Trends and opportunities in animal welfare
