Top Medical Device and Orthopedics Conferences to Attend in 2026 and 2027
Published 7/30/2026
Author: Andrew Reed, Assoc. Director, The Health Management Academy
Where Orthopedic and Device Leaders Should Spend Their Time
Before evaluating this year's medical device conferences, start with the question that decides the rest: where will an orthopedic service line, hospital supply chain organization, or medtech commercial team gain the greatest return on its limited time and budget? Conference size and reputation are important, of course, yet the real return comes from who is in the room. An executive forum that places orthopedic service line leaders in direct conversations with the device manufacturers competing for their business delivers a very different experience than a 13,000-person trade show. Each serves a distinct purpose, and each earns its place on the calendar for different reasons.
This guide is intended for orthopedic and surgical service line leaders across health systems, ambulatory and supply chain executives, and the medtech and medical device teams that work alongside them. It covers the orthopedic and medtech conferences remaining on the calendar from the second half of 2026 through 2027, beginning with The Health Management Academy's Orthopedics Forum before examining other major industry events, including both their strengths and their limitations. All dates, registration costs, and event details are based on verified information published by each organizer. When future editions have not yet released confirmed dates, agendas, or pricing, those details are identified as unavailable rather than estimated.
The Best Medical Device and Orthopedics Conferences of 2026 and 2027
The Health Management Academy Orthopedics Forum
Dates and Location: The next edition is scheduled for 2027, with the date and venue to be announced. The Orthopedics Forum is part of THMA's broader Industry Executive Convening.
Who It Is For: System-level orthopedic service line executives, both physician and administrative leaders, seated one-to-one with the orthopedic and medtech/ medical device industry leaders who serve them.
Why It Stands Out: The Orthopedics Forum is the one program here built specifically to connect orthopedic service line leaders with the device and medtech companies whose products move through their operating rooms. It runs closed-door and retreat-style across two days, with member-led sessions and a strict one-to-one health system-to-industry ratio that makes the room a peer-level dialogue rather than a buyer-seller dynamic. The agenda concentrates on the questions defining orthopedic leadership now: the policy and regulatory outlook, service line leadership models, operational efficiency through AI and OR innovation, and the integration of ambulatory surgery centers with value-based care. THMA's network spans many of the country's largest systems, including Mayo Clinic, Yale New Haven Health, and Intermountain Health, and the forums carry no exhibit halls, vendor pitches, or media. These are application and membership-based gatherings, and the next edition's date is not yet published, so they reward depth of relationship over scheduling certainty.
Best Suited For: Orthopedic service line leaders and the device teams whose central challenge is adoption and access, and who value sustained, peer-level relationships over a high volume of new contacts.
AAOS Annual Meeting
Dates and Location: March 3–6, 2027, Venetian Convention and Expo Center, Las Vegas, NV.
Who It Is For: Orthopaedic surgeons, residents and fellows, researchers, and the device industry partners who exhibit alongside them.
Why It Stands Out: The AAOS Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of musculoskeletal specialists in the world and the flagship meeting for the field. The 2026 edition in New Orleans drew 13,420 total attendees, including 6,964 medical professionals and 6,208 industry participants. Programming centered on robotic-assisted surgery, digital health, and orthobiologics, and 2026 added an AAOS and FDA town hall on AI and device innovation and the OrthoPitch competition. For the first time, Instructional Course Lectures were included with base registration, a change that carries into 2027. AAOS offers CME credit, though 2027 registration rates are not yet available.
Best Suited For: Device and medtech teams with a defined exhibit or meeting strategy, and orthopedic leaders tracking surgical technology across every subspecialty.
AAHKS Annual Meeting
Dates and Location: November 5–8, 2026, Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, Grapevine, TX. The meeting returns to the same venue November 4–7, 2027.
Who It Is For: Hip and knee arthroplasty surgeons, residents and fellows, non-physician team members, and surgeon administrators.
Why It Stands Out: The AAHKS Annual Meeting is the focused meeting for the highest-volume orthopedic service line, hip and knee arthroplasty, and it typically draws around 5,000 total attendees. The scientific program concentrates on implant design, outcomes, surgical technique, and the complications of primary and revision total joint arthroplasty, alongside the socioeconomic questions that shape arthroplasty payment and site of care. Recent editions have added an Industry Innovation Awards program and a Start-up Exhibitor Program, along with courses for practice business, research, and the broader team.
Best Suited For: Device companies and service line leaders focused on joint replacement, revision, and the economics of high-volume arthroplasty.
NASS Annual Meeting
Dates and Location: October 14–17, 2026, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX.
Who It Is For: Spine surgeons, advanced practice providers, residents and fellows, and the wider spine care team.
Why It Stands Out: The North American Spine Society's 41st Annual Meeting is the leading multidisciplinary spine meeting, and its 2026 theme, "The Connected Spine," frames a program built around evidence, innovation, and real-world practice. The meeting features more than 300 abstract presentations, an advanced practice provider course, and the Spine Venture Village, an innovation hub that gives device startups and investors a defined place on the floor. Independent estimates put attendance at roughly 3,500 spine surgeons. The meeting offers CME across its sessions.
Best Suited For: Spine device, biologics, and enabling-technology companies, and health system spine program leaders.
Becker's Spine, Orthopedic and ASC Conference
Dates and Location: The 2026 edition took place June 11–13 at Swissotel Chicago, in Chicago, IL, and is included here for planning reference. The 2027 edition has not yet been announced.
Who It Is For: Spine and orthopedic surgeons, ambulatory surgery center administrators and owners, and health system service line and ambulatory leaders.
Why It Stands Out: Becker's Spine, Orthopedic and ASC Conference is the leading business-and-operations meeting for orthopedic and spine ambulatory surgery centers, and the event here closest to the executive questions health systems actually face. The 2026 program drew more than 750 attendees and featured over 275 physician and ASC speakers, including leaders such as Alexander R. Vaccaro and Wael Barsoum, alongside sessions on ASC performance benchmarking, spine and pain program operations, and the financial performance of orthopedic service lines. The meeting is accredited for up to 12.7 CME credits, unusual for an operations-focused program.
Best Suited For: ASC operators, orthopedic and spine service line executives, and device teams selling into the ambulatory shift.
AAOE Annual Conference
Dates and Location: The 2026 edition took place April 20–22 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, KY, and is included here for planning reference. The 2027 dates had not been announced at research time.
Who It Is For: Orthopedic and musculoskeletal practice executives, administrators, and managers, including managing physicians and the wider practice team.
Why It Stands Out: The American Alliance of Orthopaedic Executives Annual Conference is the business-of-orthopedics meeting, distinct from the clinical societies, convening the administrative leaders who run orthopedic practices and service lines. The program spans practice operations, financial optimization, compliance, data analytics and benchmarking, IT and cybersecurity, value-based care models, and business development, along with the AAOE Speed Meetings Program that pairs administrators with solution providers. Continuing education is available for practice administrators.
Best Suited For: Orthopedic practice administrators and service line operators, and the companies whose products serve practice operations, revenue, and analytics.
The MedTech Conference
Dates and Location: October 18–21, 2026, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, MA.
Who It Is For: Medical device, diagnostics, imaging, and digital health companies from startups to large strategics, along with investors, hospital and health system executives, and government officials.
Why It Stands Out: Powered by AdvaMed, The MedTech Conference is the leading US medtech industry gathering, where the business of medical devices happens across strategy, financing, regulation, and partnering. The 2026 program spans thirteen tracks, from business strategy and finance to digital health, in vitro diagnostics, market access, and regulatory and quality, alongside signature programming such as CEOs Unplugged, whose 2026 slate includes Geoff Martha of Medtronic, Lisa Earnhardt of Abbott, and Spencer Stiles of Stryker. Hospital and health system executives and investors can attend through complimentary programs, while the All-Access Pass runs roughly $1,000 to $3,100 for AdvaMed members and $1,600 to $3,600 for non-members, tiered by company revenue. The 2025 edition drew 3,708 attendees from 1,800 companies.
Best Suited For: Medtech and device companies pursuing capital, partnerships, or market access, and health system leaders tracking the device pipeline.
LSI USA Emerging Medtech Summit
Dates and Location: March 15–19, 2027, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA.
Who It Is For: Emerging medtech and healthtech founders, venture and private equity investors, corporate strategics, and select service providers.
Why It Stands Out: LSI USA is the medtech industry's leading emerging-company and investor summit, built to match early and growth-stage device companies with the capital and strategic partners evaluating them. The format centers on nine-minute company presentations across multiple tracks, alongside keynotes and fireside chats, and the 2026 edition drew a senior audience with speakers including Omar Ishrak, the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, and venture investor Tim Draper. LSI reports more than 1,800 participants a year across its events. Due to its investor and emerging-company focus, the summit serves capital formation rather than clinical education. Its main value to health systems is early access to the device pipeline, before products reach the service line.
Best Suited For: Emerging device companies raising capital, investors, and corporate development teams scouting the next generation of orthopedic and medtech innovation.
MD&M West
Dates and Location: February 9–11, 2027, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.
Who It Is For: Medical device engineers, R&D, manufacturing and automation, quality, and sourcing professionals, along with suppliers and contract manufacturers.
Why It Stands Out: MD&M West is the largest medtech design and manufacturing event in the US, the supply-and-build side of the device industry, co-located with a broader advanced manufacturing show across five sector floors. The 2026 edition reported more than 13,800 verified attendees and 1,700 exhibitors from 43 countries, which makes it where device teams meet the suppliers and contract manufacturers behind their products. Programming covers advanced and sustainable manufacturing, automation and Industry 4.0, plastics, and packaging, and 2026 added a Women's Brunch, a Workforce Connect talent panel, and an expanded medtech exhibitor zone.
Best Suited For: Device engineering, manufacturing, and sourcing teams, and suppliers serving the orthopedic and medtech build chain.
DeviceTalks Boston
Dates and Location: The 2026 edition took place May 27–28 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA, and is included here for planning reference. The 2027 dates have not yet been announced.
Who It Is For: Medtech engineers, product and R&D leaders, manufacturing and regulatory professionals, startup founders, and commercialization executives.
Why It Stands Out: DeviceTalks Boston is a mid-sized medtech industry meeting known for practical, engineering-forward programming, organized around four tracks that follow a product from invention through commercialization. The 2026 edition reported more than 1,380 attendees, with over 44 percent at the C-suite, executive, or senior-management level, and co-located with the Robotics Summit and Expo, which deepened its coverage of surgical robotics and AI in the operating room. Sessions spanned orthopedic implants, catheter and polymer design, manufacturing automation, and regulatory compliance. A conference and expo pass ran $795 early and $1,195 late, with an expo-only pass from $125. The engineering and commercialization focus means the meeting serves device teams more than health system operators, though its New England density makes it convenient for East Coast companies.
Best Suited For: Medtech engineering and commercialization teams, particularly those in the Northeast device corridor.
What to Look for in a Medical Device or Orthopedics Conference
Buyers and Builders in the Same Room
Orthopedics and medtech run on two calendars that rarely intersect. The clinical societies convene surgeons, the trade shows convene manufacturers and investors, and few events put a health system's service line and supply chain leaders across the table from the device companies courting them. Before committing, establish which side of that divide an event sits on, and whether the people who actually authorize an implant contract or an ambulatory surgery center build will be present rather than a step removed from the conversation.
The Ratio of Peer Evidence to Sales Floor
One of the clearest distinctions between conferences is the balance they strike between evidence-based education and commercial promotion. A peer-reviewed podium presentation supported by registry data offers a different type of value than a product demonstration on an exhibit floor, and every event falls somewhere along that spectrum. Consider how much of the agenda is devoted to independent research, clinical evidence, and benchmarking versus exhibitor-driven activity, then choose the conferences that align with the team's objectives. Whether the priority is gathering credible data to inform purchasing decisions or gaining broad visibility into the marketplace, the right mix depends on the outcome the team is trying to achieve.
Alignment with the Shift to Ambulatory Care
The continued migration of orthopedic and spine procedures from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers remains one of the most significant forces reshaping the industry, driven by changing reimbursement models, value-based care, and site-of-care economics. As a result, one of the best ways to evaluate a conference is to determine how directly it addresses these operational and financial realities. Some events, such as Becker's, place ambulatory care strategy and service line performance at the center of their programming, while clinically focused society meetings may devote comparatively little attention to these topics. Beyond advances in surgical techniques, review the agenda for sessions covering site-of-care strategy, cost per case, reimbursement, and service line profitability to confirm the event aligns with the organization's priorities.
Ability to Evaluate New Technologies
Emerging technologies such as surgical robotics, navigation platforms, orthobiologics, and artificial intelligence are often accompanied by significant marketing, making it important to distinguish proven value from promotional claims. The most worthwhile conferences create opportunities to hear directly from surgeons, service line leaders, and operators who have already implemented these technologies in practice. Honest discussions about implementation costs, clinical impact, workflow changes, and lessons learned provide far greater value than product demonstrations alone. When evaluating an event, look for programs that encourage open, experience-based conversations so the team can make more informed technology and purchasing decisions.
Opportunity to Build Ongoing Relationships
The long-term value of a conference often depends on whether it brings the same community of leaders together over time. Strong professional relationships are built through repeated interactions, not one-time introductions. Events that consistently reunite orthopedic service line executives, health system leaders, and industry partners foster greater trust, more candid conversations, and stronger collaboration than large conferences where attendees may never cross paths again. When planning a recurring conference budget, consider the long-term networking value of events that cultivate an ongoing executive community rather than focusing solely on attendance size or visibility.
Building a Deliberate 2026 and 2027 Medical Device and Orthopedics Conference Strategy
An effective conference strategy balances time and resources across events that fulfill distinct objectives rather than treating them as interchangeable. Clinical society meetings, such as the AAOS Annual Meeting, the AAHKS Annual Meeting, and the NASS Annual Meeting, shape the research, education, and surgical direction of orthopedics and spine. Executive and operations-focused events, including Becker's Spine, Orthopedic and ASC Conference and the AAOE Annual Conference, are designed for the leaders responsible for managing orthopedic service lines and ambulatory surgery centers. Finally, medtech industry conferences like The MedTech Conference, LSI USA, MD&M West, and DeviceTalks Boston focus on medical device innovation, investment, manufacturing, and the supply chain that supports the industry.
Executive access occupies the tier the large events cannot fill. The Health Management Academy's Orthopedics Forum, part of its broader Industry Executive Convening, delivers sustained, closed-door dialogue between orthopedic service line executives and the device and medtech leaders who serve them, the conversation that exhibit floors and pitch stages are not built to host. A deliberate calendar pairs the Orthopedics Forum with a selection of the major industry events, so a team gains both the wide market view and the candid relationships that carry into purchasing, service line, and commercial strategy. Teams that plan this way will enter 2027 with sharper positioning and stronger relationships than a stretch of busy but undirected attendance would produce. For the full slate of executive convenings, see THMA's healthcare conferences overview.