SNO vs RSNA for Exhibitors

Side-by-side data and our editorial take on which conference is the right exhibit investment for your medical device.

By Buzzbox Media · Last reviewed August 3, 2026

SNO VS RSNA

If you exhibit medical devices, SNO and RSNA are likely both on your shortlist. Both serve overlapping clinical buyers, but the audience composition, booth economics, and exhibit floor experience differ in ways that materially affect ROI. SNO draws 3,000 attendees with no booth pricing published by the organizer. RSNA draws 38,000 attendees with no booth pricing published by the organizer. Below is the side-by-side data plus our editorial take on which conference fits which kind of exhibitor.

7.0 SNO
10.0 RSNA
Score
Buzzbox Score 7.0 (Strong)10.0 (Exceptional)
Event Details
Dates November 12-15, 2026November 29 - December 3, 2026
Location Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PAChicago, IL (McCormick Place)
Scale midmega
Audience
Attendees 3,00038,000
Exhibitors n/a650
Purchasing authority ~55%~78%
Effective buyers 1,65029,640
Costs
$/sqft n/a$41.25
10×10 space n/a$4,125
All-in estimate n/an/a
Cost per buyer n/an/a

Why exhibit at SNO

SNO concentrates the entire brain tumor treatment community in one room, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and researchers. If you have a device or therapy used in neuro-oncology, there is no more targeted audience. The convention center venue in Philadelphia allows proper exhibit builds.

Why exhibit at RSNA

Largest radiology gathering in the world. Essential for imaging equipment, contrast media, AI/digital health in radiology, and radiation protection vendors. Decision-makers come to see and touch new tech.

Why skip SNO

Extremely narrow audience: if your product is not directly used in brain/CNS tumor treatment, this is not your show. The meeting is heavily science and pharma-driven, so pure device companies may feel out of place. Limited to ~3,000 attendees, so volume is modest. Pricing is not publicly listed.

Why skip RSNA

Wrong audience for non-imaging device companies. Booth costs are brutal for first-timers.

SNO publishes no booth pricing we can link to, so no cost is listed for it. See the official SNO site ↗ for exhibitor details. RSNA booth figures are estimates read from its published exhibitor prospectus ↗, not quotes. Confirm current pricing with each organizer before committing a budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SNO or RSNA have more decision makers?

RSNA does, on our estimate: roughly 29,640 effective buyers against about 1,650 at SNO. Effective buyers multiplies total attendance by the share of attendees who hold purchasing authority, so RSNA works out to about 38,000 attendees at roughly 78% authority, and SNO to about 3,000 at roughly 55%. Both inputs are estimates drawn from organizer reporting and our own exhibitor research, so read the gap as directional rather than exact.

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Buzzbox Media is a healthcare marketing agency with over 15 years in medtech. See our conference marketing.