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General Information

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We want to ensure that your time at Vet Science Week 2026 is the most productive three days of your year. To help with the logistical elements of your trip, we’ve included the below list of information. Of course, if there’s any other other questions you might have, please do reach out to us and we’ll do everything we can to help you.

Accessibility

Ensuring that Vet Science Week is accessible for all our attendees is incredibly important to us.

All sessions will have Closed Captioning available throughout and our venue – the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre – is dedicated to providing open, safe and inclusive access for all guests.

For a full description of their approach to accessibility, including the use of elevators and ramps throughout the venue, please visit their site here.

Decimal currency is used in Australia with the dollar as the basic unit (100 cents = A$1).

Notes come in A$100, A$50, A$20, A$10 and A$5 denominations. Coins come in 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, A$1 and A$2 denominations.

Currency exchange facilities are available in most banks, hotels and airports and operate normal business hours.

Credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and shops, the most widely used being Mastercard, Visa and American Express.

Spring (Sep-Nov):  16-26 ºC (59-79 ºF)
Summer (Dec-Feb): 20-29 ºC (68-84 ºF)
Autumn (Mar-May): 16-26 ºC (61-79 ºF)
Winter (Jun-Aug): 10-21 ºC (50-70 ºF)

Australia is free from many plant and animal diseases prevalent in other countries.  Very strict quarantine rules apply to the import of animals and plants which cannot be brought into the country without prior application.  Animal and plant products are also restricted.

For more information see the ‘Information for International Travelers’ on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) website.

Bistros, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops offer varied menus, prices and decor.  Local specialties such as seafood and Australian wines are worth trying.  At some restaurants you can keep the liquor bill down by taking your own wine or beer.  These are called “BYO” restaurants, an abbreviation for “bring your own”.

Electrical current is 240/250V, AC 50Hz.  The Australian three-pin power outlet is different from that in many countries, so you will need an adaptor.  If your appliances are 110V, check if there is a 110/240V switch.  If not, you will need a voltage converter.  Universal outlets for 240V or 110V shavers are usually found in leading hotels.

All prices quoted in this website are inclusive of 10% GST (Goods and Services Tax), unless otherwise specified.  GST applies to most goods and services in Australia.

The Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) is administered by the Australian Customs Department and enables travelers departing from Australia to claim a refund of the GST and Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) paid on goods bought in Australia.  For detailed information on the TRS visit the website of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Services of the Australian Government.

Registration fees do not include insurance.  It is strongly recommended that at the time you register for the Meeting and book your travel you take out an insurance policy of your choice.  The policy should include:

  • Loss of fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in the Meeting or through cancellation of the Meeting,
  • Loss of international/domestic air fares through cancellation for any reason,
  • Loss of tour monies through cancellation for any reason including airline or related services strikes within Australia,
  • Failure to utilise tours or pre booked arrangements due to airline delay,
  • Force Majeure or any other reason,
  • Medical expenses (including sickness and accident cover),
  • Loss or damage to personal property,
  • Additional expenses and repatriation should travel arrangements have to be altered.

 

The Meeting Managers cannot take any responsibility for any participant failing to arrange their own insurance. This insurance is to be purchased in your country of origin.

The official language for the Meeting is English.

All visitors to Australia must have a valid visa to travel to and enter Australia, including Commonwealth & US passport holders.

Welcome letters can be requested by emailing the Meeting Managers (register.vetscienceweek@arinexgroup.com) following completion of Meeting registration.  For Visa information please visit the Australian Immigration Office website.

For International participants, to obtain an Australian visa an Invitation Letter is not required. Once you have registered and paid the registration fees in full then your confirmation of registration or tax invoices for payment of registration fees is sufficient to lodge with your visa application.

Note – it is strongly recommended that Australian visa applications are lodged at least two months prior to departure from your point of origin. This may not be organised upon arrival. 

Welcome Letters for Visa Applicants

International delegates can request for an official Welcome Letter from the Meeting Managers to assist with their VISA Applications after paying for their Meeting registration. Please forward a copy of your registration confirmation email and receipt to the Meeting Managers at vetscienceweek@arinexgroup.com and request for a Welcome Letter.

The Meeting Hosts and Meeting Managers have arranged for photography onsite throughout the event.  The images may be used for post-Meeting reports, case studies, marketing collateral and supplied to industry media if requested.  If you do not wish for your photo to be taken, please inform the photographer and move out of camera range.

Due to time zones and jet lag, we suggest you arrive in Australia a few days prior to the commencement of the Meeting.  This will enable you to relax and familiarise yourself with your hotel and its surrounds.

Australia operates under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), as amended, and the Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches), 2017.  The objective of these is to protect the right of the individual to privacy of their information.

Europe operates under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. The GDPR aims primarily to give protection to citizens over their personal data.  The legislation was adopted on 27 April 2016.

The Meeting Managers comply with these legislations and are committed to protect the right of the individual to privacy of their information.

Arinex will not sell your personal information to third parties.  If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please email us and we will promptly correct the information.  You may also withdraw your consent for use of your information by advice to us in writing.

 Why do we wish you to provide your information?

We require your information to facilitate provision of information to you regarding the Meeting and to facilitate your participation in the Meeting.  Information collected in respect of your proposed participation in any aspect of the Meeting will be used for the purposes listed below.  You can give or withhold your consent for each or all of these uses.  Please indicate your preferences when completing your registration form but please note that we will be unable to forward any information relating to the Meeting or to communicate with you regarding your registration if you select ‘no’ to point 1.

What we will do with your information?

  1. Planning and conduct of the Meeting including arrangements for your participation (e.g. accommodation booking);
  2. In the Delegate List published for the Meeting;
  3. May also be provided to organisers of future occurrences of this Meeting;
  4. May be used to provide you with information of other relevant events in your area of interest.

Important Notes:

  • The parties who will have access to your information (subject to your preference selections on above points) are the Meeting Managers, the Meeting host organisation (points 1 and point 4), delegates, sponsors and exhibitors of the Meeting (point 2) and any future organisers of the Meeting (point 3).

The parties mentioned above will rely on your above consent indications for the purposes of compliance.

  • You may withdraw your granular consent at any time by notice in writing to the Meeting Managers.
  • You are entitled to access the information held by written application to the Meeting Managers.

For further information please see our detailed corporate Privacy Statement at link

Gold Coast shops usually open from 0900 to 1700 hours during the week with late night shopping on Friday until 2100 hours. The hours in the CBD and shopping centres on Saturdays are generally from 0900 to 1700 hours and on Sundays from 1000 to 1700 hours.

For the best possible chance of obtaining a visa to travel to Australia to attend an event, you should determine which visa you should apply for, making sure that the visa allows for the purpose of visit to Australia.

Vet Science Week 2026 will be registered with the Australian Department of Home Affairs International Event Coordinator Network (IECN). Our event managers, Arinex, do this as soon as registrations open as a standard operating procedure.  The Arinex team then provide the IECN with participant lists on a fortnightly basis since registrations have opened.  A Conference Invitation Letter is not required to obtain an Australian visa.

Please go to the Australian Immigration Visa Website to select and apply for the most appropriate visa that covers your full visit to Australia. On question 1 of this site, the option to attend a conference or expo is indicated. Subsequent questions will ask the delegate to indicate their country of passport and duration of stay. It will be up to the delegate to consider any other activities they will be participating in. From this, the website will provide some visa options (below example).

 

Visa applications are legally binding declarations made by speakers. Neither Arinex or the ANZCVS is responsible for the information submitted in Visa applications. Their knowledge of a speaker’s time in Australia is limited to their VSW speaking engagement. The parties are also unable to provide legal or immigration advice.

Historically, if the delegate is primarily entering the country to speak and/or attending the conference, a normal tourist visa (eVisitor subclass 651/601 or Electronic Travel Authority, dependant on country) is what international visitors have generally entered Australia under.  In relation to IECN and event visa support, the following advice has been detailed from their website on 1/2/2026:

  • Attendees, amateur performers, and volunteers (who will not be paid to participate, other than to be reimbursed for reasonable expenses such as accommodation and meals) may be eligible for a Visitor visa.

 

For ANZCVS VSW speakers, any gratuity paid is generally regarded to cover the reasonable expenses. The Temporary Activity Visa Subclass 408 mentioned on the IECN site does not, at this time, have any categories that cover conference events. We ask delegates to speak to immigration directly with enquiries if they are still unsure for any reason.

If required, Arinex can generate a welcome letter to support a visa application. Please email Arinex directly for it to be provided.