Optometry's Meeting 2027Exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines
- Event dates
- June 16–19, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- June 16–18, 2027 (Wed 7–9 p.m. opening reception; Thu–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.)
- Venue
- Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), Boston
4.9 client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
Optometry's Meeting 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for exhibitors. Every figure has its source further down the page.
- When is Optometry's Meeting 2027?
- June 16–19, 2027, at Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), Boston.
- When is the exhibit hall open?
- June 16–18, 2027, Wed 7–9 p.m. opening reception; Thu–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
- How big is Optometry's Meeting?
- 5,962 attendees (2026 edition).
- What does booth space cost?
- $3,500 per 10×10, 2026 AOA rate, paid to the organizer.
- What does a 10×20 booth cost all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed by the show.
- What is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Last day to adjust booth size or cancel with a 25% cancellation fee: January 31, 2027.
Everything about Optometry's Meeting 2027 in one place
Optometry's Meeting 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | Optometry's Meeting 2027, the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | June 16–19, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | June 16–18, 2027 (Wed 7–9 p.m. opening reception; Thu–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.) source |
| Venue | Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) 415 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210 |
| Organizer | American Optometric Association (AOA) and American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) |
| Size (2026) | 5,962 attendees source |
| Who attends | Doctors of optometry, optometric and paraoptometric staff, optometry students, faculty and practice owners |
| Booth space | $3,500 per 10×10, 2026 AOA rate source |
| Next deadline | Last day to adjust booth size or cancel with a 25% cancellation fee: January 31, 2027 source |
| Nearest airport | Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) About 3 miles from the convention center; the Silver Line ride from the airport is free |
| Hotels | onPeak is the only official hotel provider for the 2027 Boston meeting, with attendee, exhibitor and government rates Official hotel page → |
| Official website | optometrysmeeting.org |
Official Optometry's Meeting resources
Optometry's Meeting 2027 calendar
Optometry's Meeting 2027 dates and deadlines
The dates the organizer has published, in order, each linked to the page that states it. The next one is highlighted.
- Last day to adjust booth size or cancel with a 25% cancellation feeExhibitors source
- Final payment due for exhibit space; no refunds from this dateExhibitors source
- Move-in by appointment for booths of 900 sq ft or largerLarge-booth exhibitors source
- General move-in begins for all booths (June 14–15, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.)Exhibitors source
- Meeting opens; booth flooring and setup due by 3 p.m.; Eye Care Square Opening Reception 7–9 p.m.Exhibitors and attendees source
- Eye Care Square open 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Last Eye Care Square day, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Optometry's Meeting 2027 closesAttendees source
01 Purple at Optometry's Meeting 2027
Boston's Optometry's Meeting 2027 booths, built around the exam chair
We build Eye Care Square booths where a doctor of optometry can sit at your instrument, see the image and talk price before the next CE course starts. At the BCEC we place your Freeman orders, lay the required booth flooring before the 3 p.m. June 16 cutoff and work alongside Carpenters Local 327.
- June 16–19 · BCEC Boston
- 5,962 attendees in 2026
- Eye Care Square June 16–18
What makes Optometry's Meeting different, and how we build for it
Optometry's Meeting is the AOA and AOSA's own congress, so the people in the aisles own practices, staff them or are about to graduate into them.Eye Care Square is the single exhibit floor: it opens with the Wednesday evening Opening Reception, then runs two full days with unopposed exhibit hours at midday. On the floor, the EYETalks stage hosts product talks; around it, the multi-day AOA Innovation Hub spotlights new clinical and business tools, the AOA+ Career Fair brings students and new graduates, and the Vision Rehabilitation, Vision Therapy & Sports Performance Mini-Exhibit Hall draws specialists. New companies can start in the turnkey EyeStart Pavilion.
Hands-on time at diagnostic and imaging instruments, pricing and financing they can take back to a partner, and a seat to talk through workflow, reimbursement and delivery dates.
Demos of the scheduling, ordering, optical lab and patient-service tools they run every day, with someone who can answer billing, coding and setup questions on the spot.
A first look at the equipment, lenses and frames for a first practice, plus residency, employment and partnership conversations steered by the AOA+ Career Fair.
Your team in Boston
Two shops, one project manager, every hall
We build in our own production shop in Fishkill, NY, and our Las Vegas hub, ship to the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), and install with our own project manager on the floor and vetted local labor. Predictable 30–45-day turnarounds, secure storage and pre-show QA.
Your team walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
Inside Optometry's Meeting 2027
Rules that shape your booth
Every Eye Care Square space must have a floor covering in place by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16, 2027, or Freeman installs carpet at the exhibitor's expense. We lay your booth flooring on the first move-in day so the cutoff never comes into play.
Booths of 900 square feet or more may move in Sunday, June 13 by appointment only; everyone else moves in on June 14 and 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 3 p.m. on June 16. We book the appointment for large islands and schedule labor to match.
Each 10×10 of space includes five booth staff badges valid for Eye Care Square only, and in-line booths come with back drape 8 feet high and side drape 3 feet high and an ID sign for booths of 300 square feet or less. We size staffing and storage to that badge count.
Written cancellation or reduction costs 25% of the space fee through January 31, 2027, 50% from February 1 to March 31, and no refund from April 1. We confirm your footprint and instrument list with you before January 31.
The AOA can renumber or move booths to close gaps or meet fire codes and electrical grids, and once onsite, booth locations are final. We keep the design modular until your number is fixed, then route freight to it.
Programs worth planning for
A turnkey 8×10 exhibit area in Eye Care Square for companies launching or exhibiting at Optometry's Meeting for the first time; exhibitors bring collateral and the AOA supplies the space. Price is quoted by the AOA exhibits team.
A multi-day program at the 2027 Boston meeting that spotlights innovators and disruptors in clinical, scientific, technology and business tools for optometry.
The on-floor stage for short talks in Eye Care Square, which brings doctors into the hall between CE courses at the 2027 meeting.
A dedicated exhibit area for vision therapy, low vision and sports vision products and services, part of the 2027 meeting program for specialist optometrists.
Optometry's Meeting is the AOA's own congress, with 1,470 doctors of optometry in 2026; choose it over ARVO when you sell instruments, lenses, frames or practice software to practicing optometrists rather than research tools to vision scientists. Compare every medical devices show we build for →
02 Booths & pricing for Optometry's Meeting 2027
Popular booth sizes at Optometry's Meeting
The AOA sells Eye Care Square in 10×10 units; its 2026 rate was $3,500 each, with corner and island premiums on top, and a turnkey EyeStart Pavilion serves newcomers. We recommend a 10×20 with one shaded exam-lane bay for a single instrument line, or a 20×20 island when frames, lenses and devices share the space.
A shaded exam-lane bay with a patient chair and instrument table at one end, a counter for orders and badge scans at the other, inside the AOA's 8-foot back drape line.
Shown: Eagle Chemical, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Doctors get a shaded exam-lane bay with a patient chair, a lockable lit frame wall beside it, and a two-seat table at the end with a screen for financing and ROI numbers.
Shown: Tipmed, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
Two device stations back to back, a lockable frame or contact lens wall, and an open table for practice owners under a hanging sign visible across Eye Care Square.
Shown: TileBar, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A full demo lane, a practice-software lounge, an enclosed room for group purchasing talks and secure storage for frame and lens inventory, with move-in by appointment from June 13 for 900 square feet and up.
Shown: Olon S.p.A., a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's price
- Design and a 3D rendering, revised until it is right
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting and power distribution inside the booth
- Installation and dismantle, with our project manager on the floor
- Every show-service order and deadline tracked for you
Billed by the show and its contractor
- Booth space (paid to the organizer)
- Material handling / drayage, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical service, internet and rigging
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the venue requires
Rates to plan with for Optometry's Meeting:
- Booth space, 10×10 in-line $3,500 per 10×10, 2026 AOA rate source
- Booth space, 20×20 $14,000, 2026 AOA rate (nonprofit booth space $1,000) source
- Drayage, advance warehouse $323.95 per cwt crated, 2026 BCEC rate from another show (Purple venue guide)
- Drayage, direct to show site $404.94 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, 2026 BCEC rate (Purple venue guide)
We estimate every one of these on your proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
Prices are all-in 2026 rental ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds are quoted per project. Get an exact number for Optometry's Meeting with the booth cost calculator or read the 2026 booth cost guide.
Send the show, your booth size and what the space needs to do. We reply within one business day and send a rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
Your team walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Booths we have designed, built and installed
Case study · Pixee Medical
Pixee Medical at a medical technology congress
A focused, demo-first booth for augmented-reality surgical guidance, built so every visitor could try the technology while traffic kept moving.
Different specialty, same problem: Pixee Medical needed every surgeon to try the device while the aisle kept moving, which is how doctors shop Eye Care Square at midday.
Read the Pixee Medical case study All case studies →“We were very happy with the experience and with the support provided throughout the project. The booth looked great, the coordination process was smooth, and everything was handled professionally, which made the event much easier for our team.”
Miriam Valdes, Communications Manager, INdermal · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for optometric equipment, eyewear, contact lens and practice-software brands at Optometry's Meeting
Four things we get right for Optometry's Meeting exhibitors
1An exam lane inside Eye Care Square
Doctors judge an OCT, fundus camera or autorefractor by sitting at it during Eye Care Square's 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. days. We build a shaded bay with dimmable light, a patient chair, a vibration-free instrument table and its own power circuit, so the image on your monitor matches the practice.
Frame walls that lock at 4 p.m.
Eye Care Square closes at 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and the hall empties fast. We design lit frame and lens walls with mirrors at seated and standing height, price-point labels and lockable fronts, with restock drawers inside the furniture so nothing sits out overnight.
Staff for the noon-to-two window
The AOA keeps 12 to 2 p.m. free of competing sessions, so that is when doctors crowd the floor. We plan an open corner and a visible demo chair for that rush, with a second screen so a group can watch while one doctor sits at the instrument.
Use the Wednesday reception
Eye Care Square opens with a 7 to 9 p.m. Opening Reception on June 16, a social first look rather than a buying session. We light the booth for evening, keep demo stations powered and give you a standing-height table where a practice owner can book a Thursday appointment.
Concept rendering
Every proposal comes with a rendering like this
You see the booth in 3D before we cut a single panel: layout, graphics, lighting and product positions, revised until it is right. Shown: a Purple concept for Purple AI.
Start my Optometry's Meeting concept05 Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) · Boston
Logistics for Optometry's Meeting 2027, handled
Freeman is the AOA's general contractor, with its online service manual due in January 2027 and discounted carpet, furniture and services through it. Booth carpentry at the BCEC belongs to Carpenters Local 327 working under the official contractor, since Massachusetts has no right-to-work law. Move-in starts June 13 for booths of 900 square feet or more by appointment, all booths follow June 14 to 16, and flooring must be down by 3 p.m. June 16 or Freeman lays carpet at your cost. Boston drayage is among the highest in the country, so we pack instruments light and ship to Freeman's advance warehouse.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Boston Convention & Exhibition Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
Eye Care Square sits on the BCEC's single-level exhibit floor, with CE courses in meeting rooms around it. The AOA sets the layout, so here is how the building itself shapes your booth.
516,000 sq ft of contiguous space on one level, split into bays that are sectioned off or linked depending on the show's size.
Our advice: Eye Care Square uses only part of this floor, so sight lines are short: a lit header and a visible demo chair do more than height.
The BCEC has 82 meeting rooms plus a 40,000 sq ft ballroom; the AOA runs its CE courses and hands-on workshops in rooms like these.
Our advice: Doctors arrive in waves when CE sessions break and during the 12 to 2 p.m. unopposed hours, so we plan staff and demo slots around the course grid.
Silver Line rapid transit serves the BCEC directly, Logan is roughly 3 miles off, and a skybridge links the Westin Boston Seaport District.
Our advice: Staff at Seaport hotels can walk back to the booth between sessions, which makes the early Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m. opens easy to cover.
What Purple handles
- Freeman orders for labor, electrical, carpet and material handling
- Booth flooring installed ahead of the June 16, 3 p.m. cutoff
- Exam-lane demo bays with dimmable lighting and dedicated power
- Lockable frame and lens displays built in Fishkill, NY
- Our project manager directing Local 327 carpenters at install and teardown
Timeline, counted back from move-in
Last day to resize or cancel Eye Care Square space at a 25% fee: January 31, 2027. After this the AOA keeps 50% of the space fee, and nothing is refunded from April 1, so we settle your footprint and instrument list with you before the end of January.
We need design sign-off by early April 2027.
- January 31, 2027Last day to change booth size or cancel at a 25% fee; we lock your footprint and instrument list with you before it.
- Early April 2027Design sign-off with demo lighting and frame walls; the AOA's final space payment is due April 1.
- April to May 2027Production in Fishkill, NY over 30 to 45 days; frame walls and graphics proofed with your real products.
- About 3 weeks before move-inBooth and crated instruments ship to the Freeman advance warehouse; electrical, labor and carpet orders placed.
- June 13–16, 2027Move-in: June 13 by appointment for 900 square feet and up, June 14 to 16 for all booths, flooring down by 3 p.m. June 16.
- June 16–18, 2027Eye Care Square opens with the Wednesday reception and runs Thursday and Friday; then we dismantle and send the booth to storage.
Purple planning timeline. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable budget & deadline sheetTravel to Optometry's Meeting 2027
Getting to Optometry's Meeting 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
About 3 miles from the convention center; the Silver Line ride from the airport is free
Stay
onPeak is the only official hotel provider for the 2027 Boston meeting, with attendee, exhibitor and government rates
Park
1,300 attendee parking spaces daily at the venue, $35 per car to self-park (venue rate, 2026)
Find the venue
Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC)
415 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210
Travel facts from signatureboston.com.
Optometry's Meeting by the numbers
Optometry's Meeting year by year
How Optometry's Meeting 2027 compares with other medical devices shows
The medical devices shows closest to Optometry's Meeting on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAMI eXchangeAAMI | June 4–7, 2027 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 150+ exhibitors (2026) |
| ASE Scientific SessionsAmerican Society of Echocardiography (ASE) | June 4–6, 2027 | Tampa, FL | nearly 2,000 attendees · 60+ exhibitors (2026) |
| SNMMI Annual MeetingSociety of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) | June 5–8, 2027 | Washington, DC | Nearly 8,000 attendees · Nearly 250 exhibitors (2026) |
| OMTECORTHOWORLD Inc. | June 8–10, 2027 | Rosemont, IL | 215+ exhibitors (2026) |
| APICAssociation for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) | June 14–16, 2027 | Los Angeles, CA | 2,129 attendees (2025) |
| AANPAmerican Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) | June 15–19, 2027 | New Orleans, LA | 4,150+ NPs attendees · 323+ exhibitors (2025) |
| WHX MiamiInforma Markets (World Health Expo) | June 16–18, 2027 | Miami Beach, FL | 15,000+ attendees · 1,300+ exhibitors (2025) |
| Optometry's MeetingAmerican Optometric Association (AOA) and American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) | June 16–19, 2027 | Boston, MA | 5,962 attendees (2026) |
| ADA Scientific SessionsAmerican Diabetes Association (ADA) | June 18–21, 2027 | Washington, DC | 8,000+ attendees (2026) |
| NATA Clinical Symposia & AT ExpoNational Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) | June 21–24, 2027 | New Orleans, LA | 4,000+ athletic trainers attendees · 250+ exhibitors (2026) |
Optometry's Meeting exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before Optometry's Meeting
How much does a booth at Optometry's Meeting 2027 cost?
Two bills. The AOA charged $3,500 per 10×10 of Eye Care Square space in 2026, so a 10×20 was $7,000 and a 20×20 $14,000. Our build sits on top: a 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000 and a custom 20×20 island $50,000 to $120,000. Boston union labor, drayage on heavy instruments and lockable frame walls move it most.
What are the booth deadlines for Optometry's Meeting 2027?
The AOA takes a 50% deposit when it approves your space. January 31, 2027 is the last day to resize or cancel at a 25% fee, the fee rises to 50% through March 31, and the balance is due April 1, 2027, after which nothing is refunded. We need design sign-off in early April to build and ship on time.
Can we rent a booth for Optometry's Meeting, and what does a rental include?
A Purple rental for Eye Care Square includes the frame, printed fabric graphics, LED lighting, a demo counter or instrument table, freight, install and dismantle on one fixed proposal, plus the flooring the AOA requires in every space. We can add a shaded exam-lane bay or a lockable frame wall, and the kit returns to us after Boston.
Can we set up our own booth at the BCEC in Boston?
Only limited hand work. Boston has no right-to-work law, so anything beyond small, low pieces at the BCEC is built by Carpenters Local 327 through the official contractor. We file the exhibitor-appointed contractor paperwork and certificate of insurance, then our project manager directs the local carpenters on your booth.
What does drayage cost at the BCEC and who pays it?
You pay it, by weight, at the tariff in Freeman's Optometry's Meeting service manual, due in January 2027. Purple's venue guide holds a 2026 figure for this building from another show: $404.94 per hundredweight shipped directly to the hall and $323.95 if crates go through the advance warehouse, with a 200-pound minimum, so we pack instruments light.
Where do exhibitors go at Optometry's Meeting?
Everything sells from Eye Care Square, where the EYETalks stage, the AOA Innovation Hub and the AOA+ Career Fair pull doctors and students onto the floor. Specialists also head to the Vision Rehabilitation, Vision Therapy & Sports Performance Mini-Exhibit Hall. The AOA sets the layout and can renumber booths for fire code or electrical grids.
Can we reuse the booth at ARVO, ASCRS or other eye care shows?
We design the structure in modules so the same frame wall and demo bay travel to ARVO and ASCRS in San Diego or the AAO meeting in Las Vegas, with new graphics where the message changes. Between meetings the kit stays in our warehouse, where we inspect it and fix worn parts before it travels again.
When is Optometry's Meeting 2027?
Optometry's Meeting 2027 runs Wednesday, June 16 to Saturday, June 19, 2027 in Boston. Registration opens in January 2027. Later meetings are already set: June 14–17, 2028 at the Seattle Convention Center and June 27–30, 2029 at Gaylord National in National Harbor, Maryland.
When is the exhibit hall open at Optometry's Meeting 2027?
Eye Care Square opens Wednesday, June 16 with the 7 to 9 p.m. Opening Reception, then runs Thursday, June 17 and Friday, June 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with unopposed exhibit hours from 12 to 2 p.m. The meeting itself continues through Saturday, June 19.
Where is Optometry's Meeting 2027 held?
Boston's Seaport District hosts it, inside the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center on Summer Street. Many exhibitors still call the building the BCEC, while the venue itself now uses MCEC. Logan Airport sits roughly 3 miles off, and the Silver Line's World Trade Center stop is steps from the entrance.
How many people attend Optometry's Meeting?
The AOA counted 5,962 total attendance at the 2026 Phoenix meeting, an AOA+ year, including 1,470 doctors of optometry and 2,651 students. The 2025 Minneapolis meeting drew 4,528, and Nashville in 2024 drew 4,670, each counting exhibitors and guests. Attendance for 2027 is not confirmed yet.
Is Optometry's Meeting open to the public?
No. Registration is for people affiliated with the profession: optometrists, members and nonmembers, paraoptometric staff, students, faculty, industry professionals and their guests. Exhibitor badges, five per 10×10 of space, give Eye Care Square access only, not entry to the CE courses.
Who organizes Optometry's Meeting?
The American Optometric Association, based in St. Louis, runs it together with the American Optometric Student Association, which holds its annual conference alongside. The AOA sells Eye Care Square space and sponsorships directly, and Freeman serves as the general contractor for exhibitor services.
How do we get a booth at Optometry's Meeting?
Apply on the AOA's 2027 exhibitor booth application, which runs through its goeshow portal with the floor plan and the Boston ordering guides. A 50% deposit holds approved space, applications after April 1, 2027 must be paid in full, and first-time or new companies can ask for the turnkey 8×10 EyeStart Pavilion.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for Optometry's Meeting:
- Is every fee on the proposal, including what the show contractor bills?
- Who builds the booth: your own shop or a subcontractor?
- Will your project manager be on the floor for install and dismantle?
- What exactly is in the rental, and what is billed by the show?
- Where does the booth go after the show, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? We refresh the graphics, repair what is worn, ship it, install it and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, with one project manager answering your emails in your time zone.
Short on time? A rental with your graphics can be ready in two to three weeks. We tell you on the first call what is realistic for your date.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your Optometry's Meeting booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.