Barks Blog

Following on from success of inaugural event, second edition of Geek Week will take place on November 13-17, 2021

The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has announced that the second edition of its virtual event Geek Week will take place on November 13-17, 2021.

Jointly hosted by PPG, Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Australia, INTODogs UK, Pet Professional Guild Australia (PPGA), and Pet Professional Guild British Isles (PPGBI), this year’s event will build on the success of the inaugural 2020 event and take on an expanded, more streamlined format. PPG has now placed a callout for potential speakers to submit their proposals for session topics.

Special features at Geek Week 2021 will include 24 hours of presentations each day, as well as two general sessions, chaired by an academic keynote speaker or skill expert, to take place at 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET each day. The schedule has been structured so it will be accessible to all time zones.

On days 2, 3, and 4, the general sessions will be supported by three educational tracks, the Academic Track (The A Track), the Behavior Track (The B Track) and the Consulting Track (The C Track), that will run simultaneously a minimum of three hours apart. On days 1 and 5, the general sessions will be supported by several of the A, B and C tracks, a virtual cocktail party, panel discussions, and other fun activities.

The A Track will be strictly science based and academic in nature. It will feature national and international academics discussing their research or reviewing the current literature in their field. Each session will be scholarly in nature, breaking down a research subject, its data, findings, and recommendations.

The B Track, meanwhile, will be a behavior ‘how-to’ track featuring highly proficient, hands-on, mechanically skilled dog trainers who will provide a comprehensive understanding of how the presented skill should be trained and performed. Each presentation will include a breakdown of the task skills, the required criteria, the goals of the task, and the training steps to teach the skill, accompanied by explanatory videos.

These sessions will provide attendees with a takeaway ‘how-to’ that they can implement what they have learned immediately into their businesses.

Finally, the C Track will cover consulting, marketing, and personal growth. This track is designed to support personal development and business skills and topics may be academic, operationally focused, or related to human resources.

Submit Your Geek Week Topic Proposal!

PPG is now inviting potential presenters to submit their topic proposals via the PPG website. If accepted, presenters will be notified of options for a date and time. They will also be able to participate in the marketing of their sessions via the provision of a unique marketing toolkit.

“Just like last year’s event, Geek Week 2021 will present a unique, fun and educational virtual experience that will include fun-filled activities, competitions and prize-winning opportunities,” said PPG president, Niki Tudge. “We have also streamlined the event by drilling down on specific ‘niches’ to ensure we can reach as broad a cross-section of the pet industry as possible, with topics that will appeal to all sectors. Once again, Geek Week will create a one-stop shop where attendees can combine great quality education with the opportunity to network with professionals worldwide to share best practices and experience.”