The move is the result of space limitations caused by the State of Hawaii’s use of convention center space for state agencies carrying out pandemic-related emergency services through the end of 2022.
The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) announced that the 2022 Annual Session will relocate to Miami Beach, Fla. The meeting had been scheduled to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The 2022 AAO Annual Session in Miami Beach will be held May 21 to 24, 2022.
The move comes after the State of Hawaii informed the AAO that space inside the Hawaii Convention Center would not be available to groups, including the AAO, through the end of 2022.
In a letter addressed to the AAO in May, the convention center general manager explained that the Governor of Hawaii had directed the convention center, which is a state-owned facility to continue to offer space for state agencies carrying out services related to the pandemic. The convention center designated one of its exhibit halls for state agencies through December 2022.
The space limitations led the AAO to look for an alternative location.
“In just a few short weeks AAO leadership and staff have been able to find and secure a new location that meets all of our requirements—a task that typically takes months to complete and occurs 9 to 10 years in advance!” said AAO CEO Lynee Thomas Gordon.
In a press release, the AAO confirmed its commitment to holding an in-person meeting in 2022 after two all-virtual Annual Sessions.
The last Annual Session held in Miami was over 50 years ago.
