Speaker submissions information

The Best Friends National Conference takes place May 7-9, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The conference brings together animal welfare professionals and volunteers from across the country to gain knowledge and practical strategies to fast-track lifesaving at their organizations.

This conference will place particular focus on the programs proven to work and the power of collaboration and collective responsibility to achieve, maintain, or return to no-kill. Our goal is for attendees to come away feeling educated, connected, inspired, and empowered.

The submission process for potential speakers closed on November 7, and all final decisions have since been communicated via email to those who applied.

We are excited to provide conference attendees with sessions that are packed with insightful, forward-thinking content, delivered by speakers who represent a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

For anyone who was interested in speaking but missed the deadline to apply, we hope you will still join us in person in Salt Lake City. You can also sign up for this email list so you are the first to be alerted when the submission process opens for the 2027 National Conference.

If your topic is research-based — i.e., it presents a clear problem, provides recorded solution(s), and demonstrates quantifiable results — we encourage you to submit your content for a research poster session. These sessions will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during the conference, and all selected researchers will have the opportunity to showcase their work and speak with attendees as they visit the poster area. Click here for more information on participating in the research poster sessions.

Person at a vendor booth at the Best Friends National Conference

Sessions for 2026

Breakout sessions will last 60 minutes, including time for Q&A.

New for 2026, there are three engaging session formats:

Listen and learn: A lecture-style session focusing on key concepts and foundational knowledge.

Conversation: A conversation-based session where attendees explore common challenges together, aiming at solutions that can benefit everyone.

Workshop: An interactive, hands-on session where attendees develop practical solutions and actionable plans in real time.

Sessions will be geared toward learners who are beginner, intermediate, or advanced in their topic journey.

“When you speak at the Best Friends National Conference, you share ideas and information, to be sure, but you also foster connection, build commitment, and inspire action. The presentation you give can truly change a community and save more lives.”

-Julie Castle, Best Friends CEO

Julie Castle with her hand touching her German shepherd dog Sunny

Background on the conference

The past three conferences have hosted an average of 1,460 people, 160 speakers, and 110 sessions.

Attendees and speakers come from different backgrounds and all types of organizations, including leaders in advocacy, community engagement, field and animal services, shelter medicine, animal care, marketing, fundraising, volunteering, development, and more.

Here are some key insights about the 2025 conference audience:

Speaker benefits and expectations

We’re pleased to offer a range of benefits for our esteemed speakers, including but not limited to complimentary conference registration. And, if your proposal was selected, we ask for your cooperation in helping to ensure a successful conference.

This is what you can expect of us at Best Friends. Along with regular communication and support, speaker benefits for 2026 include:

Complimentary conference registration providing full access to the event and three continental breakfasts, three lunches, and at least one evening reception
Hotel accommodation for up to four nights. We will reserve and pay for your lodging from check-in May 6 through check-out May 10; speakers may extend lodging at their own expense
Dedicated speaker lounge on-site, where you can review and rehearse your presentation, relax, and connect with other speakers
Speaker coaching opportunities to help you hone your delivery
Marketing tool kit to help promote your speaking at the conference
Certificate of participation upon completion

Best Friends encourages speakers’ employers or sponsors to fund travel expenses. If that is not possible, a travel stipend is available to help defray costs. If you live within 300 miles of the conference venue, you can be reimbursed up to $350 for your travel expenses. If you live 301 miles or more from the conference venue, you can be reimbursed up to $450 for your travel expenses.

All selected speakers will be asked to:

Sign a speaker agreement, which will outline the expectations and benefits in detail
Adhere to all guidelines and deadlines provided to stay on track and support your preparation for a successful session
Communicate with Best Friends staff as we go along, especially while we review your session title, description, and biography for editing purposes
Provide materials, handouts, and copies of your presentation electronically that attendees can download from the conference website and app, and share your contact information so they can request more information directly from you if needed
Rehearse your presentation, especially if you have a co-presenter; this is crucial for your and your audience’s experience

Best Friends believes in being kind to all beings, and compassion drives our work to save the lives of animals. As a matter of procedure, a standard internet search and review of publicly available information was performed prior to final speaker selection to ensure that all selected speakers share this philosophy.

In addition, we will also review your presentation content to ensure it adheres to Best Friends’ guiding principles.

Speaking at the Best Friends National Conference