Three Nights, One Deadline Past and One Ahead
The ADA 2026 Scientific Session runs Thursday, October 8 through Saturday, October 10 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, and the venue forecasts 4,000 attendees. The American Dental Association’s annual meeting and dental trade show runs alongside the Indiana Dental Association Center for Excellence programme, and the registration desk opens Wednesday, October 7 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. That sets the stay at three nights — Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — with a Saturday checkout.
The venue publishes 7,100 downtown hotel rooms, and a 4,000 forecast equals 56 percent of that stock on one night.
The Week, Hour by Hour
Wednesday, October 7 holds one item: registration from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Nothing else is scheduled, so Wednesday night is the night to keep or cut deliberately.
Thursday, October 8 is the long day. Registration runs 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the general session 7:45 to 9:00 a.m., continuing-education courses and hands-on workshops 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again 1:30 to 5:00 p.m., and the exhibit hall 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a happy hour from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Friday, October 9 carries the heaviest overlap. Continuing-education courses run 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 5:00 p.m., the IDA Center for Excellence programme 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the exhibit hall 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the Changemakers Celebration Reception 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 10 is a half day. Registration is open 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., continuing-education courses run 8:30 a.m. to noon, and the exhibit hall 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. That is the morning a three-night stay checks out, so ask the hotel for its checkout time and whether it holds bags.
The Housing Deadline Has Passed, the Pricing Deadline Has Not
The ADA’s travel page sets the housing deadline at September 18: book by then for the best selection and availability, with limited hotel options possibly remaining afterwards. Housing and reservation questions go to ADA@maritz.com. That deadline sits behind you, so the move changes: take a refundable rate while inventory is still open, and ask the hotel to state its cancellation deadline in writing.
The deadline still ahead is registration. Advanced pricing runs before September 28 at 5:00 p.m. An ADA member dentist conference pass is $699 advanced against $1,099 standard, a nonmember dentist $1,049 against $1,649, dental team and other $349 against $549, and students $49 either way. Exhibit-hall-only access is $0 for members and dental teams at advanced pricing and $25 standard, and for nonmembers $25 advanced against $50 standard. Every pass covers the full three days.
So the pass and the room each carry a date. The pass date is September 28. The room date is now.
Saturday Night Belongs to the House of Delegates
The House of Delegates meets October 10 to 13 in Indianapolis. It opens the same day the Scientific Session closes and runs three nights past it. Delegate demand sets the market for that night, and a three-night Wednesday-to-Saturday stay never pays for it. If you do want the Saturday, price it separately from the Scientific Session nights and check whether the hotel still holds your rate for the extension.
The Covered Walk and the Room Outside It
The Indiana Convention Center publishes 7,100 hotel rooms in downtown Indianapolis, more than half within blocks of the Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, and 4,700 of them connected to the Center by skywalk. Visit Indy counts its connected convention package at 12 hotels and 5,200 rooms. The western edge of that package is the Courtyard, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn trio, which Visit Indy places directly across the street from White River State Park.
The skywalk closes. The Center states the times are event-dependent, with lock-down at approximately 11:00 p.m. and re-opening at approximately 6:00 a.m. Thursday’s happy hour ends at 6:00 p.m. and Friday’s Changemakers reception at 6:00 p.m., so both evenings sit inside the window.
Compare the rate on a connected room with the rate on a downtown room outside the covered network. The Center’s two published counts mark where that inventory sits. Then confirm the covered walk from that specific property to the Convention Center with the hotel itself, and ask for the route from the lobby by name.
Logistics and the Discounts Already Negotiated
Indianapolis International Airport sits 15 minutes from downtown, and its Ground Transportation Center connects bus service, car rental, taxi, Uber and Lyft, and hotel courtesy vehicles. Downtown holds more than 70,000 parking spaces, and Denison Parking operates all Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium lots, with online reservation and pre-payment. IndyGo runs the public bus service from a call centre at (317) 635-3344.
The ADA has already negotiated travel discounts. United Airlines offers a meeting discount under agreement code ZRRK230223 for travel from October 4 to 15, 2026. Southwest offers 3 percent off Anytime and Business Select fares through the ADA’s SWABIZ account. Rental car discounts run from 7 percent at Dollar and Thrifty to as much as 25 percent at Hertz, with negotiated rates at Enterprise and National.
Booking the Room
hotelHuddle sends one request to 50 or more hotels, free to submit and with no obligation. Hotels respond with rates and terms within 24 to 72 hours, you compare every offer side by side, and you pay the hotel directly with no commission added to the rate. Its terms at clause 2.2 read: “The Platform is free to use. RFP submissions are free — there are no subscription plans, per-request fees, or hidden charges.”
The order of operations for this meeting: book a refundable room for Wednesday October 7 through Friday October 9 while downtown inventory holds, register before September 28 at 5:00 p.m. for advanced pricing, and get the cancellation deadline and the covered route to the Convention Center in writing before you travel.