AAO 2026 in Orlando offers a high-impact opportunity to move your practice forward, especially when you arrive with clear goals.
Between packed exhibit halls, standout speakers, Universal Studios at night, and more events than you can realistically attend, the difference between a good AAO and a great one comes down to being intentional.
Here is your game plan, counting down from 8 to 1.
8. Go in with a hit list for the exhibit hall
The exhibit hall is massive this year. If you walk it without a plan, you will lose hours and still miss what matters.
Before you arrive, pick:
- 5 companies you need to evaluate
- 3 problems you are actively trying to solve
Then walk it with purpose. Planned conversations will get you further than collecting swag you will throw away later.
7. Make Orlando part of the experience
Some of the best moments at AAO happen once you leave the floor.
You are right next to Universal CityWalk, which makes it ridiculously easy to step out without overplanning. Use that to your advantage.
Here are a few actually worth your time:
- Quick reset at CityWalk between sessions: Grab a drink, sit outside for 30 minutes, and decompress.
- Dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium: It is over the top in the best way. Big space, great for groups, and memorable enough that it feels like more than just another work dinner.
- Cocktails at Hard Rock Cafe patio: Easy, lively, and right in the middle of everything. Perfect for casual meetups that do not require a formal reservation.
- Walk and talk instead of sit-down meetings: Skip the “let’s grab a table” and just walk CityWalk with someone you want to connect with. Lower pressure, better conversation.
6. Hit the exhibit hall at the right times
The exhibit hall is not the same experience all day.
If you go during peak hours, it is crowded, loud, and hard to have a real conversation.
If you time it right, it is one of the most valuable parts of the entire conference.
Here is how to play it:
Go right when it opens
Booth teams are fresh, you can actually ask questions, and you are not shoulder to shoulder with a crowd.Or go late in the day
Traffic dies down and you get more honest, unhurried conversations.Avoid the midday rush
This is when everyone floods in between sessions and you end up waiting around or having surface-level interactions.Come back for follow-ups
The first pass is discovery. The second pass is where you actually dig in and make decisions.
Most people walk the floor once and call it done. The people who get the most value treat it like a strategy, not a stroll.
5. Compare numbers with other practices
AAO is one of the few places where you can have honest conversations with peers.
Ask questions like:
- What is your case acceptance rate right now
- What is your kept exam rate
- How is your TC presenting financially
At the OrthoFi booth, we’ll be providing a detailed look at how you compare to your region’s top-performing practices on key metrics like Same-Day Starts, Case Acceptance, Net Collection Rates, and more.
Spend ten minutes in the right conversation and gain actionable insights you can immediately apply.
4. Get CE that gives you more than credits
AAO offers more CE than you could ever realistically attend. The real value is in noticing what keeps coming up.
When you hear the same idea mentioned in a session, echoed on the floor, and brought up in conversation, pay attention. That is usually where things are shifting.
If you want to explore your options, AAO’s full schedule lays everything out so you can see how topics and themes show up across different sessions.
Instead of trying to cover everything, follow the threads that show up more than once. Those are the ideas most worth bringing back to your practice.
3. Get a back massage before you need it
There is a very specific moment at AAO. It is usually mid-afternoon. You have been standing all day. You are thinking about leaving early.
This is your time to refresh.
Stop by the OrthoFi booth (#2143) for a free back massage:
- Friday from 12:30 to 4:30 PM
- Saturday from 12:30 to 4:30 PM
Ten minutes later, you’ll catch your second wind.
2. Go to the keynote. Yes, really.
Most keynotes are easy to skip. This one is not.
Joey Fatone and Lance Bass of NSYNC are taking the stage, hosted by Dr. Anil Idiculla.
It is part performance, part conversation, and one of the only moments where the entire conference shows up together.
You will get nostalgia, energy, and something you will actually remember.
1. Free drinks, Level The Curve, and the best hour of AAO
This is how you close out AAO the right way.
Saturday from 4 to 5 PM at the OrthoFi booth:
- Free drinks
- Copies of Level The Curve
- Live book signing with Oliver Gelles and Dr. Jamie Reynolds
It is relaxed. It is social. And it is one of the few places you can actually slow down and have a real conversation at the end of a packed day.
If you are only going to stop by one booth with intention, make it this one.
The show has wrapped — for what we actually saw and heard on the floor, read What AAO 2026 Told Us: 5 Shifts Reshaping Orthodontics.
