STS 2027: Marketing Guide for Cardiothoracic Device Companies

The 63rd Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting runs January 28 to 31, 2027 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The exhibit hall is open January 28 to 30. About 130 companies exhibit each year, and STS lists them as "medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical publishers, and health care staffing organizations."

If you make devices, instruments or technology used in cardiac, thoracic or congenital heart surgery, STS is where cardiothoracic surgeons and their teams meet in person each year. This guide covers who attends, what the booths cost, and what to do 90, 60 and 30 days before the meeting.

STS 2027: the numbers

• Dates: January 28 to 31, 2027
• Exhibit hall hours: Thursday, January 28, 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.; Friday, January 29, 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.; Saturday, January 30, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Venue: San Diego Convention Center, 111 Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
• Organizer: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• Attendance (2026): 2,352 professional registrants from 47 countries
• Buying role: STS reports that 82% of 2026 attendees "have a role in the buying process for equipment and/or services"
• Exhibitors: approximately 130 each year
• 10 ft x 10 ft booth: $4,500 (2027 price)
• Next year: STS lists the 2028 meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, January 28 to 30, 2028
• Official site: https://www.sts.org/calendar-of-events/63rd-sts-annual-meeting

Who attends, and why they matter to a device or diagnostics company

STS lists its attendees as physicians, nurse practitioners, surgical technicians, residents and fellows, nurses, academic researchers, physician assistants, perfusionists and medical students. The core of the meeting is cardiothoracic surgeons.

The number that matters most for an exhibitor is the buying role: STS reports that 82% of 2026 attendees have a role in the buying process for equipment or services. STS is a smaller meeting than many specialty shows, with 2,352 professional registrants in 2026, but most of the people in the hall help decide what is used in the operating room.

The surgeons are also spread across their careers. In STS's 2026 attendee profile, 17% had been in practice under five years, 24% for 15 to 24 years and 19% for 25 to 34 years. That mix lets you meet the senior surgeons who lead programs and the younger surgeons who are building their practice and choosing their tools.

STS says the 2027 meeting will use a new floor plan, with an open walkway connecting the main stage, exhibit hall, e-poster area and spotlight theaters, and says this is meant to allow "increased foot traffic through the hall."

What to do 90, 60 and 30 days out

The exhibit hall opens Thursday, January 28, 2027. Count back from that date.

90 days out (around October 30, 2026)

• Reserve your booth. Booth sales are open on STS's exhibitor portal. A show floor suite (a 10 ft x 10 ft hardwall meeting room on the floor) is available only to exhibitors.
• Decide whether to apply for an industry symposium, which STS offers for educational programs, receptions and advisory boards held with the meeting.
• Build a named list of surgeons and programs: current customers, high-volume cardiac and thoracic programs in your territories, and surgeons presenting in your product area.

60 days out (around November 29, 2026)

• Start outreach to your named list with a specific meeting time during hall hours.
• Check the program for sessions in your product area. Surgeons who attend those sessions are the best visitors that day.
• Order booth graphics, demo equipment and shipping.
• Plan for the pre-show attendee list that comes with your booth. STS notes it includes only attendees who opted in.

30 days out (around December 29, 2026)

• The 30-day mark falls in the holiday week, when surgeons and their offices are hard to reach. Send final invites and calendar holds before about December 18.
• Confirm meetings in the first week of January.
• Brief booth staff on the evidence for each product and what they can and cannot say. Keep every claim at the booth within your product's cleared or approved labeling.

Booth and sponsorship costs

These are the 2027 prices STS publishes on its exhibitor portal.

A booth includes back drape and side rail drape, a booth identification sign, three exhibitor registration badges per 10 ft x 10 ft, a listing in the conference app and website, the pre- and post-show attendee list (opted-in attendees only), and priority points toward 2028 space selection.

A show floor suite includes a hardwall, round table, four chairs, carpet, a wastebasket and a small identification sign.

Sponsorship prices are not published on STS's exhibitor pages as of September 25, 2026. STS offers a sponsorship gallery (banners, clings, meter boards, digital ads, mailing lists and email blasts), industry symposia, advertising and educational grants, and asks exhibitors to contact its industry relations team.

Travel, staff time, freight and show services are separate and not published by STS. Get quotes before you commit.

Pre-show plays

• Book meetings during hall hours. The hall is open three of the four days, and surgeons have sessions to attend. A booked meeting gets their time.
• Lead with clinical evidence. Your invitation should name the data or technique a surgeon can discuss at the booth.
• Use the attendee list with care. It includes only opted-in attendees. One clear invitation with a specific reason to visit is better than several generic emails.
• Tell current customers where to find you. Surgeons bring colleagues to booths they already trust.

At-show plays

• Put clinical experts in the booth. Surgeons want to talk with someone who understands the procedure and the evidence.
• Show the device in use. A simulator, model or hands-on station answers technique questions quickly.
• Use a show floor suite for private meetings. A suite gives you a closed room for program-level conversations about cost, training and support.
• Record what each surgeon wants next: an evaluation, a case observation, data, or a visit from a rep.

Follow-up plays

• Follow up within two business days with what you promised.
• Route by role. A surgeon who leads a program needs different follow-up from a fellow, a perfusionist or an OR nurse. Each influences the decision in a different way.
• Bring the hospital into the conversation. Surgeon interest usually has to pass through hospital value analysis and supply chain. Give your champion the material that review will ask for.
• Share questions with your clinical and product teams. What surgeons asked at the booth shows what your next piece of evidence needs to answer.

Common mistakes at STS

• Planning for four days when the hall is open for three. The hall closes Saturday afternoon.
• Judging the show by attendance alone. STS is smaller than many specialty meetings, but STS reports that 82% of attendees have a buying role.
• Sales staff with no clinical depth. Surgeons tend to move on from booths where no one can answer a technique or data question.
• Leaving the holiday gap out of the plan. Outreach sent in late December often goes unread.

Should you exhibit at STS in 2027?

Yes, if cardiothoracic surgeons or their teams choose or use your product: surgical instruments, cardiac or thoracic devices, perfusion equipment, surgical imaging, or OR technology used in these procedures.

Probably not as your main show if cardiothoracic surgery is a small share of your market. A broader surgical or cardiology meeting may reach more of your buyers.

About this guide

I am Baron Miller, founder of Buzzbox Media, a medical device marketing agency with over 15 years in medtech. Since 2018 I have worked on the organizer side of a medical congress: the AAGL Global Congress brand, scientific program, speaker videos and registration campaigns. Buzzbox Media won four 2025 Association TRENDY Awards for its work on the AAGL Global Congress. Every date and price in this guide comes from STS's own site or exhibitor portal, and the sources are listed below.