SmileCon, scheduled for October 2021 in Las Vegas, will feature reimagined scheduling and exhibit hall. 

Starting in 2021, the American Dental Association (ADA) is revamping its annual meeting format with SmileCon. Scheduled to take place October 10 to 13, 2021, at Mandalay Bay Report and Casino in Las Vegas, this new type of dental meeting will reportedly be built around “participants, emphasizing their experiences and desires.” 

“As we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, I am delighted to present a new direction for the ADA annual meeting,” said Dr Letitia Edwards, American Student Dental Association liaison to the Advisory Committee on Annual Meetings for ADA FDC 2020. “Now, I want you to think about something that we dental professionals all have in common. Something that’s led us to where we are today. And that is smiles. You and your teams work so hard to care for them, and we think you should be rewarded with something that makes you smile—and our reimagined meeting will do just that.”

According to the ADA, SmileCon will feature a simplified continuing education course list that will offer popular topics more than once. Topics not offered in 2021 will be featured in subsequent years. SmileCon will also focus on peer-to-peer learning and mentorship in an effort to nurture connections among attendees and take advantage of shared knowledge. 

SmileCon will include social events, such as BrainDates, a Buddy Program, and Dine-Arounds, which reportedly are being designed to cultivate communities among those who attended, while the Exhibit Hall will become Dental Central, a hub for connecting with the dental community during the event. Dental Central will have lounges and cafes sprinkled throughout the space, with the idea of providing attendees with a relaxed atmosphere where they can congregate and network. 

Dental Central will also reportedly feature more-one-one contact with exhibitors and opportunities to “do” rather than just “watch,” as well as smaller stages for presentations that encourage group learning. These multi-purpose satellite stages, called Smile Stage, will be used to deliver CE content, industry updates, and dental trends. 

The ADA also plans to make Dental Central open during times when no CE is occurring so that attendees with a full CE schedule do not miss out. 

Registration for SmileCon will be opening late spring 2021.