Three registration windows, one still open
The 2026 SHPE National Convention runs October 28 to October 31 at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis. The venue forecasts 15,000 attendees. SHPE prices attendance in three windows. Early bird closed September 9 at 5 p.m. ET. Regular pricing runs to October 7 at 5 p.m. ET. Late pricing opens October 8 and closes October 31 at 12 p.m. ET.
A professional member pays $480 early, $600 regular and $760 late. A non-member pays $775, $860 and $960. Advisors pay $150, $300 and $475. Undergraduate and graduate members pay $345, $470 and $625. The regular window is open now, so a professional member pays $480 today for the same four days that cost $760 in the late window.
Groups registering together run on a separate clock. Bulk submissions close October 1 at 5 p.m. ET. Every promo code expires five business days after issue and before 5 p.m. ET on October 16.
Two housing dates decide the room
SHPE housing opened August 11, 2026. The name change deadline passed on September 15. Housing closes October 14. Reservations move to the hotels directly on October 21. Rooms are first-come, first-served and may sell out before the housing deadline.
The block carries nine properties. Conrad Indianapolis at $249. Fairfield Indianapolis Downtown at $194. The Westin Hotel Indianapolis at $189. Indianapolis Marriott Downtown at $269. SpringHill Suites Indianapolis Downtown at $214. Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown at $189. Omni Severin Hotel at $189. Hyatt Regency Indianapolis at $269. JW Marriott Indianapolis at $269.
Four nights and a Saturday checkout
The convention occupies four days, Wednesday October 28 through Saturday October 31. A Wednesday arrival and a Saturday October 31 checkout is three nights. A four-night hold means checking in Tuesday October 27 and checking out Saturday October 31.
SHPE has not published the session agenda. Its agenda page reads “coming soon,” so the room nights follow the event span rather than a published start time. Ask the property whether its block rate covers the Tuesday night. Conference blocks are often contracted for the show nights only.
The convention center lists the State Board of Law Admission Ceremony on Monday October 26 in Sagamore Ballroom 1-5, doors open 10 a.m., with a forecast attendance of 1,800. The center then stands empty until the NSTA fall convention opens on November 4. Lucas Oil Stadium runs The R&B Tour Starring USHER & Chris Brown on October 31 at 8 p.m., so the Saturday night carries concert demand. A Saturday checkout closes the stay before that night.
Rate structures and the questions they answer
No source in the block publishes a cancellation window, a deposit figure, or the nightly difference between a flexible and a non-refundable rate. Work the structures, and get each one in writing.
A flexible rate cancels to a stated deadline with no penalty, and it carries the highest nightly figure. A non-refundable rate locks the room at the lowest figure and returns nothing if plans change. A group block sets a negotiated rate against a room commitment. Its cut-off date releases unsold rooms to the hotel. Its attrition clause charges for reserved rooms the group does not fill.
On a four-night hold the deadlines matter more than the headline rate. Ask the hotel for its cancellation deadline, its deposit, its cut-off date, its attrition terms, and the nightly gap between its flexible and non-refundable numbers.
Inside the block, the connected rooms price lowest
The Indiana Convention Center publishes 7,100 hotel rooms in downtown Indianapolis and 4,700 of them connected to the center by skywalk. Visit Indy counts its connected package at 12 hotels and 5,200 rooms.
Inside the SHPE block the lowest rates and the connected rooms overlap. The Westin at $189 and Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown at $189 both sit at the block's cheapest figure, and both names appear in Visit Indy's connected package. Conrad Indianapolis at $249 and the three properties at $269 sit above them.
The center publishes its skywalk hours as event-dependent, with lockdown at approximately 11:00 p.m. and reopening at approximately 6:00 a.m. A connected room removes the outdoor walk between those hours. Plans that end after lockdown lose that benefit.
Visit Indy and the SHPE block name some properties differently. Confirm the property behind a rate before booking.
Parking and transit at the center
Denison Parking operates all Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium lots. It takes arrangements for specialty and long-term parking on (317) 916-1760. Downtown Indianapolis holds more than 70,000 parking spaces. Accessible spaces sit in the surrounding lots on a first-come, first-served basis, with van-access spaces marked.
IndyGo runs the local bus network and its Open Door ADA paratransit service. Its call center is (317) 635-3344. The Maryland Street canopy is the recommended taxi pick-up and drop-off point, and access there can be restricted during certain events.
Booking a group outside the block
hotelhuddle.com sends one request to 50 or more hotels in the destination. Submitting is free. Hotels respond in 24 to 72 hours. The platform adds no markup to the rate. Terms clause 3.2 reads “RFP submissions are free on hotelhuddle.com. There is no charge for submitting requests.” Clause 3.3 states that the platform strives to connect users with a minimum of five hotel responses within seven days. Most hotels offer group rates for 10 or more rooms per night, and some offer discounts from five rooms depending on season and availability.
Submit the dates as Tuesday October 27 to Saturday October 31. State whether the Tuesday night is required. Ask each property for its cancellation deadline and attrition terms in writing before you commit.
Sources: shpe.org/2026 for registration pricing, the housing calendar and the official hotel rates; icclos.com event and attendee pages; lucasoilstadium.com for the October 31 stadium event; visitindy.com connected hotels; hotelhuddle.com terms and how-it-works. Confirm rates, fees and cancellation terms with the property.