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Indianapolis tourism leaders are smiling a little less this week, following the American Dental Association’s decision to cancel the trade show portion of its annual event, scheduled for the city in October 2026.
The organization’s SmileCon, which draws about 8,000 attendees annually, was shelved for good starting next year, following a board vote Thursday. The move stems from stagnating attendance at the annual gathering, as well as rising costs associated with its execution. The last edition of SmileCon is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., this October.
“While SmileCon received positive feedback from attendees and saw a growing percentage of repeat participants each year, attendance never rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels,” the association said.
Indianapolis will still host the association’s annual meeting from Oct. 8-10, 2026, as well as numerous scientific sessions, with an expected 4,000 or more dentists, hygienists and other industry professionals expected to attend. The reduction in expected attendance means the gathering will need only two exhibit halls in the Indiana Convention Center rather than the previously expected eight.
However, the figure is far lower than what was expected when Indianapolis was announced as host in 2019, then expected to create about $15.7 million in spending and bringing in more than 11,000 attendees.
The ADA, founded in 1859, is the nation’s oldest and largest dental association, with more than 160,000 members.
“We have been in a partnership with them for so long, that it’s important to us that we do everything we can to make this newly imagined annual gathering successful,” Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy, said. “While that [trade show] piece is going away … the silver lining is those doctors will still be attending” for the educational, academic and governance elements that are continuing.
The ADA is one of several medical major events Indianapolis has secured over the past 11 years. In fact, the city during that time has booked nearly 450 meetings through 2035, with an expected $326 million in spending and impact.
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