The 10 Things You Should Do at AAHA Austin 2016


Are you preparing to head to Austin, Texas, for this year’s American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) conference? We are, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it. The conference, held at the Austin Convention Center March 31 – April 3, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. AAHA officials tell us attendance records have been broken, and we have a feeling the education, networking, and events will be incredible.

Here, the top 10 things you should do while attending AAHA Austin 2016:

 

 

  1. Go ride a bike. Seriously. No need to rent a car in Austin; take advantage of the city’s B-Cycle program. With several of the red rental bike stations near the Austin Convention Center, you’ll be able to get where you need to go, and you’ll save money and burn some extra calories while you’re at it.
  2. Visit a pretty lady. We’re talking about Lady Bird Lake, downtown Austin’s reservoir perfect for anyone who enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, canoeing, or stand-up paddle boarding. A boardwalk was recently completed, too.
  3. Stand out from your competition. Join Bill Schroeder, InTouch senior vice president, on Friday, April 1, at 8 a.m., for the first of his four digital marketing sessions, “Standing Out: A Lesson in Veterinary Branding.”
  4. Be happy. Well, this is a no-brainer. Check out Licha’s Cantina (1306 E. Sixth St.) for daily happy hour specials from 4 to 7 p.m. (P.S. We hear the watermelon jalapeño margarita is fantastic).
  5. Come up with the right thing to say. Think content development is the scariest part of marketing your practice online? Join Bill Schroeder for his second digital marketing session, “Content is Still King: How to Develop the Words That Work,” on Friday, April 1, at 10:20 a.m.
  6. Go to a trailer park. Weird, right? Well, Austin is known for its weirdness, and The Picnic trailer park–a collection of some of Austin’s best food trailers (aka food trucks) are there serving up exactly what you’re hungry for.
  7. Mingle with the locals. Literally and figuratively. Sometimes it can feel like online marketing isn’t specific enough to reach your local audience. Join Bill Schroeder for his third session, “It’s a Local Thing: How to Reach Pet Owners in Your Area,” on Friday, April 1, at 2 p.m.
  8. Cool off, naturally. Check out Austin’s Barton Springs Pool (2201 Barton Springs Rd.), a natural, spring-fed watering hole that’s three acres in size and always a cool 68 degrees.
  9. Perfect your technique. Wonder how those who are the most successful at marketing their businesses do it? Don’t miss Bill Schroeder’s final session, “Today’s Top 10 Marketing Techniques (Literally),” on Friday, April 1, at 4:20 p.m.
  10.  Do some gardening. Beer gardening, that is. Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden (79 Rainey St.) is a local favorite featuring a huge patio with an off-leash dog park (not to mention the highly rated sausage and beer).

Maybe this list should have included 11 things, because you’ll also want to stop by booth #350 in the exhibit hall to visit the InTouch team. We’re offering $2,500 savings on a search engine optimization (SEO) package (speaking of standing out from your competition, coming up with the right things to say, mingling with the locals, and perfecting your technique) and a chance for you to win $1,000 in InTouch product (looking for an app to offer your clients?).

See you in Austin!

 

Some of the above list items were adapted from AAHA’s 2016 Registration Program, which I also wrote.