For 2025, SVP’s Annual Meeting was held in Birmingham, UK, giving the Palaeocast crew easy access to one of the world’s biggest palaeontological conferences. Emily and Filippo were able to record interviews with many of the delegates and the organisers of the event.

Since it’s not always possible to find the time and money to attend a conference in another country, we hope that such reporting can give you a sense of what it’s like to attend and speak to just some of the hundreds of people in attendance.

The welcome reception of the conference was held in the Lapworth Museum of Geology. This provided palaeontologists with the perfect backdrop for mingling and discussing many of the fossils on display.

Amongst all the scientific presentations and posters, there were exhibitors promoting their journals, societies and services to the researchers present. Amongst them were a lot of artists including model makers 10 Tons (who we interviewed way back in Episode 98: 10 Tons).

Even amongst all the amazing new discoveries discussed at SVP, 10 Tons’ ‘Time Traveller’s Guide to Gastronomy’, featuring models of extinct organisms served as food, was probably one of the most talked about things at the whole event. Would you have dared to try Anomalocaris sushi or Ichthyosaur steaks?

At the end of the conference, the ‘Awards Banquet’ was held. This is a huge event in which delegates are wined and dined before a an awards presentation is given. Served at this meal was Anomalocaris sushi…

This years award winners. These typically range from best student poster all the way through to lifetime achievement awards. Past interviewees amongst the winners included Romer-Simpson Lifetime Achievement Award winner Prof. Michael Benton (Episode 64: When life nearly died) and Lanzendoft-National Geographic PaleoArt Prize winner Bob Nicholls (Episode 80: Paleocreations).

Dr Emily Keeble amongst colleagues at the meal. It’s a great reminder that conferences are the perfect place to exchange ideas, to meet with potential new collaborators and to catch up with old friends.

Tags: Conference, Dinosaur, Meeting, SVP, Vertebrate