AOTA 2026
Overview
At $28.87/sqft, AOTA INSPIRE is one of the most affordable large rehab conferences. The unopposed Expo Hall Opening Lunch guarantees foot traffic for your booth. 8,000 OT practitioners including clinic owners and rehab directors who make equipment purchasing decisions. Excellent for assistive technology, adaptive equipment, and hand therapy devices.
Key Facts
- Host organization: American Occupational Therapy Association
- Primary specialty: occupational therapy
- Scale: large
- Geography: US National
- International attendance: ~5%
Best For
Buyer Stage Fit
Booth Costs
| Booth Type | $/sqft | 10×10 Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (per sq ft) | $28.87 | $2,887 | Min 100 sqft |
| Hanging Sign (requires 400+ sqft island/peninsula) | — | — | Min 400 sqft |
All-In Cost Estimate (10×10 Inline)
| Space rental | $2,887 |
| Drayage | $1,200 – $2,500 |
| Electrical (20A) | $300 – $450 |
| Carpet/padding | $200 – $400 |
| Cleaning (3 days) | $150 – $250 |
| Lead retrieval (1 unit) | $400 – $900 |
| Wi-Fi | $500 – $1,500 |
| Estimated total | $5,000 – $9,000 |
Does not include travel, staffing, booth display, or marketing materials.
Audience
8,000+ occupational therapy practitioners and students. 300+ exhibiting companies across 24,000 sqft of exhibit space. Expo Hall Opening Lunch (12:30-2:30pm) is unopposed, driving maximum booth traffic. T3 Expo is the official show contractor.
- Purchasing authority: ~50% of attendees
- Effective buyers: ~4,000
- Cost per effective buyer: $1.75 ($7,000 all-in ÷ 4,000 buyers)
- International attendance: ~5%
Venue & Logistics
- Venue: Anaheim, CA
- Management company: AOTA (in-house, T3 Expo as contractor)
- Move-in: April 22-23, 2026
- Move-out: April 25, 2026
Who Else Exhibits
Exhibitor data coming soon for AOTA.
Our Take
Why Exhibit
At $28.87/sqft, AOTA INSPIRE is one of the most affordable large rehab conferences. The unopposed Expo Hall Opening Lunch guarantees foot traffic for your booth. 8,000 OT practitioners including clinic owners and rehab directors who make equipment purchasing decisions. Excellent for assistive technology, adaptive equipment, and hand therapy devices.
Why Skip
OT practitioners typically work within larger health systems where procurement is centralized — the person at your booth may not have budget authority. If your device requires physician prescribing, the OT audience is adjacent but not the direct buyer. 24,000 sqft exhibit space with 300 exhibitors means a packed floor.
Insider Tips
Lowest per-sqft pricing in this batch at $28.87. Cancellation schedule is favorable — zero liability before June 30, 2025. Unopposed lunch period is a genuine advantage for exhibitor ROI. T3 Expo is the contractor (different from Freeman or GES).
Buzzbox Score: 8.9 / 10 (Excellent)
8.9 out of 10. A top-tier show worth a serious line item. Carried by data transparency (10.0: booth pricing published and exhibitor prospectus available). The lightest dimension is audience quality (7.3, 50% purchasing authority (moderate)). At $28.87/sqft, AOTA INSPIRE is one of the most affordable large rehab conferences.
How we score
Six weighted factors, each scored on a 0 to 100 rubric then normalized to a 7.0 to 10.0 band. Every show on this list cleared a relevance bar to be included, so 7.0 is the floor; the number tells you how far the leaders pull ahead.
Solid (7.3): 50% purchasing authority (moderate) and large-scale event.
Standout (9.8): $29/sqft, under the $39 median.
Standout (10.0): booth pricing published, exhibitor prospectus available, and 2 booth options documented.
Strong (8.2): society-run exhibits (in-house) and non-union venue (simpler, cheaper move-in).
Strong (8.6): solid exhibitor rationale, honest "who should skip" guidance, and 300+ exhibitors (deep competitive intel).
Solid (7.4): large and well-established, some uncertainty around the event, and ~300 exhibitors.
Key Deadlines
| Deadline | Date |
|---|---|
| Application Deposit Due | April 1, 2026 |
| Hanging Sign Request | April 1, 2026 |
| Vehicle Permission Request | January 16, 2026 |
| Zero Liability Cancellation Before | June 30, 2025 |
| Fifty Pct Liability Cancellation | July 1 - November 30, 2025 |
| Full Liability Cancellation | December 1, 2025+ |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a booth cost at AOTA?
An all-in 10×10 booth at AOTA runs roughly $5,000–$9,000, including space rental, drayage, electrical, carpet, and basic services. Travel, staffing, and booth display are additional.
How many people attend AOTA?
AOTA draws approximately 8,000 attendees. 8,000+ occupational therapy practitioners and students. 300+ exhibiting companies across 24,000 sqft of exhibit space. Expo Hall Opening Lunch (12:30-2:30pm) is unopposed, driving maximum booth traffic. T3 Expo is the official show contractor.
When is AOTA ?
AOTA is scheduled for April 23-25, 2026 (preconference April 22). Location: Anaheim, CA.
Is AOTA worth exhibiting at?
At $28.87/sqft, AOTA INSPIRE is one of the most affordable large rehab conferences. The unopposed Expo Hall Opening Lunch guarantees foot traffic for your booth.