Twice a year, a General Assembly (GA) of the Member Organisations (MOs) is held; once in the winter (Symposium) and once in the summer (Congress). During GA, the internal organisation of IVSA is discussed alongside verious themes within veterinary medicine - the outcomes are then shared with other large international parties such as the WHO, OIE and FAO in order to create global policy together. During the rest of the program of the Congress or Symposium, delegates will attend lectures and workshop organized by the Organising Committee of the hosting country of the event. Both national and international partners of IVSA are present to support this event.
Aside from attending meetings and the educational program, the IVSA events usually have a social program in which delegates learn more about the local culture through excursions and each others culture through evening festivities (such as Formal Dinner and Cultural Evening). In total, an IVSA event takes between 9 to 12 days and is attend by 150 to 200 delegates.