Abstracts due by October 15, 2018

The Petfood Forum 2019 content advisory board is seeking abstracts for noncommercial oral presentations and research posters, due October 15, 2018.

Petfood Forum 2019 is scheduled for April 29-May 1 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. Please do not submit an abstract, especially for an oral presentation, if you are not sure you will be able to attend Petfood Forum during those dates.

What to submit

Potential speakers are invited to submit noncommercial abstracts on topics including:

• New research on companion animal nutrition;
• Novel ingredients and their potential applications in pet food or treat formulations;
• Data, trends and predictions for the pet food market, either global or focusing on a specific market, including opportunities for innovation;
• New pet retailing information pertinent to the selling or distribution of pet food, including via e-commerce;
• New information or ideas for marketing pet food, including via social media;
• New information, techniques or processes for product development in pet food;
• Update on regulatory information relevant to pet food in the U.S. or other, specific markets;
• New research, technology or processes for pet food production;
• New research, technology or other information on pet food packaging;
• New, specific information on one focused aspect of pet food safety (no general overviews of regulations or pet food safety programs).

An advisory board of pet food industry experts will evaluate all submissions for:

• Relevance of topic;
• Presence of new or innovative information, concepts or research. Originality is key, so please be sure your abstract gives a clear idea of how your topic is unique and/or based on new research findings or work not found elsewhere;
• Proposed speaker’s experience or background with the topic;
• Lack of commercialization or promotion – it is crucial that the paper/presentation does not come across as a sales pitch, seeking to promote your organization or product(s);
• Evidence of previous speaking experience.

Each submission is evaluated on its own merits against these criteria but also in relation to other papers received – for example, it is highly unlikely two papers on the same or a very similar subject would be selected for presentations – and to how many sessions are scheduled for a given topic area. We seek to present a balance of timely topics as well as ensure particular areas of high industry importance and popularity are sufficiently covered. No abstract will be considered if it seems commercial or if it has been published or presented prior to Petfood Forum 2019. Abstracts similar in title or content to previously presented material should include significant new information.

How to submit

You will need to join as a new user or log in, using the links below. Once logged in, you will see a page with further information, as well as a link to start a new submission.

Follow the instructions to create a new account and complete the submission forms, using the guidelines below. When finished with each page, be sure to click “Save” at the top.

Guidelines:

• Abstracts must be written in English.
• The abstract should sufficiently explain the topic, especially how it is unique or based on new information. The potential speaker’s expertise in or knowledge of the topic should also be clear.
• The following elements must be part of the abstract:
  • Abstract title and name, title and organization of corresponding author/potential speaker (if different or in addition to the information given in your account);
  • The overall purpose or objective of the abstract;
  • Information presented in sufficient detail to support the conclusions and take-home points, plus how the topic is unique or based on new information;
  • The learning objective of the presentation (this is a separate form that the system will take you to).

The submission form also includes a required field for a 50-100 word biography of the potential presenter. For oral presentations, public speaking experience must be included; it is also helpful to include information on the speaker’s knowledge of or experience with the topic.

Abstracts must be received no later than October 15. After this deadline, the abstract submission system will no longer accept submissions. Any requests for late submissions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

After review of submissions

All submissions will be reviewed within four to six weeks after the October 15 deadline; you will receive an email from the abstract system about whether your submission has been accepted or declined, using an email address named Petfood Forum.

If your abstract is chosen for an oral presentation, you will receive a Word template to complete a proceedings document, plus a PowerPoint template to use to create your presentation, including a set range of number of slides and amount of information or bullet points to include on each slide. Please use and follow these templates.

Authors will be required to sign a copyright release to permit publication of the abstract and the use or re-use of other materials. For oral presentations, you will also be required to provide a photo (head shot) and, by a specified date, a longer, more developed abstract if your initial submission is not sufficient for publication.

Failure to provide required files and information by the specified deadlines could result in your being replaced as a speaker or poster presenter for Petfood Forum 2019.