STS Annual Meeting 2027Exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines
- Event dates
- January 28–31, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- January 28–30, 2027 (Thu–Fri 9:30 a.m.–6:15 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)
- Venue
- San Diego Convention Center, San Diego
4.9 client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
STS Annual Meeting 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for exhibitors. Every figure has its source further down the page.
- When is STS Annual Meeting 2027?
- January 28–31, 2027, at San Diego Convention Center, San Diego.
- When is the exhibit hall open?
- January 28–30, 2027, Thu–Fri 9:30 a.m.–6:15 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
- How big is STS Annual Meeting?
- 2,352 professional (2026 edition).
- What does booth space cost?
- $4,500 inline, $4,750 corner, STS 2027 price list, 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?
- Early-bird registration rates end: November 2, 2026.
Everything about STS Annual Meeting 2027 in one place
STS Annual Meeting 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | 63rd Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS 2027) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | January 28–31, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | January 28–30, 2027 (Thu–Fri 9:30 a.m.–6:15 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) source |
| Venue | San Diego Convention Center 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101 |
| Organizer | The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) |
| Size (2026) | 2,352 professional source |
| Who attends | Cardiothoracic surgeons, residents and fellows, perfusionists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, surgical technicians and academic researchers |
| Booth space | $4,500 inline, $4,750 corner, STS 2027 price list source |
| Next deadline | Early-bird registration rates end: November 2, 2026 source |
| Nearest airport | San Diego International Airport (SAN) Three miles from the convention center, 10 to 15 minutes by car or shuttle, per the center |
| Hotels | CMR, the only approved official registration and housing provider for STS 2027; the Hilton San Diego Bayfront is the headquarters hotel Official hotel page → |
| Official website | sts.org |
Official STS Annual Meeting resources
STS Annual Meeting 2027 calendar
STS Annual 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.
- Early-bird registration rates endAttendees source
- Industry symposium titles, speakers and descriptions dueLunch and dinner symposium sponsors source
- Artwork due for banners, column wraps, escalator runners, coffee sleeves and Wi-FiSponsorship buyers source
- Last day to cancel registration in writing, with a $100 fee; no refunds afterRegistrants source
- STS 2027 opens; Exhibit Hall open 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Exhibit Hall open 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Final Exhibit Hall day, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; President's Reception 7 to 10 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Closing sessions, 7 to 9:30 a.m.Attendees source
01 Purple at STS Annual Meeting 2027
On the walkway from the main stage: STS 2027 booths in San Diego
We build STS booths where a cardiothoracic surgeon can hold the device, see the data and be back at the main stage before the next session. In San Diego, where installation is union work and every exhibit-hall freight door stands 16 feet high, we crate to fit and run install with our own project manager.
- Hall open Jan 28–30
- 2,352 registrants in 2026
- Booth space from $4,500
What makes STS Annual Meeting different, and how we build for it
STS 2027 is the 63rd Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and its exhibit floor sits inside the science rather than beside it.The new 2027 floor plan joins the main stage, the Exhibit Hall, the e-poster area and the spotlight theaters with one open walkway, so surgeons cross the hall between adult cardiac, congenital, general thoracic and transplant sessions. About 130 companies exhibit. Ethical MedTech has pre-cleared the meeting under the MedTech Europe Code, Show Floor Suites put closed rooms on the floor itself, and WebsEdge films STS TV on site for a third year.
The valve, conduit, stapler or robotic instrument in their own hands, the outcome data beside it and a clinical specialist who can answer sizing and technique questions before the next session starts. In 2026, 82% of attendees said they help buy equipment or services.
The setup, priming, handling and cleanup steps they own on the day of surgery, shown on the real console or instrument tray, plus training and in-service contacts for their hospital.
Time on the device without a sales script and a route into training programs; in 2026, 17% of attendees had been in practice fewer than five years.
Your team in San Diego
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 San Diego Convention Center, 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 STS Annual Meeting 2027
Rules that shape your booth
Ethical MedTech has pre-cleared STS 2027 as compliant with the MedTech Europe Code of Ethical Business Practice and the EFPIA Code. We keep booth hospitality, giveaways and in-booth events to what your compliance team signs off, so European device makers can staff the booth.
STS sells 10×10 Show Floor Suites at $6,500 only to companies that also exhibit, each with a hardwall, round table, four chairs, carpet and a small company sign. We plan suite and booth together and ship the screen and devices the suite needs.
The pre- and post-show attendee list that comes with an STS booth includes only attendees who opted in, because of ACCME regulations. We build a badge-scan point into the demo counter so every surgeon you talk to is captured on the floor.
STS Hands-On Workshops are two-hour, non-CME sessions: the sponsor supplies product, equipment and any tissue, and STS provides the room, PPE, waste removal and basic AV. We crate the workshop kit with the booth and keep the booth demo on synthetic models.
Each 10×10 includes three exhibitor registration badges, and CMR is the only approved registration and housing provider for STS 2027. We size demo stations to the staff your badge count allows and book booth hours around them.
Programs worth planning for
Company-run education alongside STS 2027: one-hour lunch symposia at the convention center at $70,000 and offsite dinner symposia at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront at $40,000. Session titles, speakers and descriptions are due December 11, 2026, and STS itself offers no CME credit for them.
Private 10×10 hardwall rooms inside the Exhibit Hall at $6,500, open only to exhibitors, for hands-on training, product previews or client meetings during hall hours.
Daily broadcasts produced with WebsEdge for a third year, shown on site, on STS.org and on STS's YouTube channel; organizations can pay to be featured in pre-recorded films, with limited spots.
Exhibitor-only branding: backlit banners at $35,000, Level 1 column wraps at $25,000, Hall D and Hall G escalator runners at $20,000 and digital posters at $12,000, with artwork due December 18, 2026.
STS is the cardiothoracic surgeons' own January meeting, with about 130 exhibitors; choose it over the AATS Annual Meeting when you want the whole surgical team, perfusionists and APPs included, on a floor that sells booth space from $4,500. Compare every medical devices show we build for →
02 Booths & pricing for STS Annual Meeting 2027
Popular booth sizes at STS Annual Meeting
STS sells space in 10×10 units: $4,500 inline, $4,750 on a corner and an island booth rate of $5,000 on the 2027 price list, plus 10×10 Show Floor Suites at $6,500 for exhibitors. We recommend a 10×20 inline with two demo counters to start, and a 20×20 island when a valve, perfusion or robotics line needs room on every side.
A tilted demo counter with a close-view camera for a valve sizer or stapler at one end, an outcomes screen in the middle and a badge-scan counter at the other.
Shown: Eagle Chemical, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Three bays: a hands-on instrument station, a perfusion or monitoring console on a low plinth, and a standing table where a surgeon and your clinical specialist can talk through a case.
Shown: Tipmed, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with demo stations facing two aisles, a seated pod for short talks, a lockable closet for spare devices and instrument trays, and a header visible down the walkway.
Shown: Pixee, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Separate cardiac, thoracic and robotics zones, a console demo area with its own power plan, and a closed meeting room that pairs with a Show Floor Suite for private consults.
Shown: Olon / Infa Group, 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 STS Annual Meeting:
- Booth space, 10×10 $4,500 inline, $4,750 corner, STS 2027 price list source
- Booth space, island $5,000 island booth rate, STS 2027 price list source
- Show Floor Suite, 10×10 $6,500, exhibitors only, STS 2027 price list source
- Drayage (Purple venue-guide estimate) Roughly $176 per cwt with a 200 lb minimum, Purple's 2026–27 figure for this building source
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 STS Annual 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 pressure: Pixee Medical's booth let each visitor try its guidance system while traffic kept moving, and STS surgeons only reach the floor in short gaps between sessions.
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 cardiac and thoracic surgical device, valve, perfusion and surgical robotics companies at STS Annual Meeting
Four things we get right for STS Annual Meeting exhibitors
1Face the open walkway
The 2027 floor plan runs one open walkway from the main stage past the Exhibit Hall to the e-poster area and spotlight theaters. We put the device, not the logo, on the face that meets that flow, at counter height, so a surgeon passing between sessions can pick it up without stepping fully inside.
Pair the booth with a suite
STS sells 10×10 Show Floor Suites at $6,500, only to exhibitors, with a hardwall, round table and four chairs. We design the booth and suite as one plan: the demo happens on the aisle, then your specialist walks the surgeon to the suite for a sizing consult or investigator talk with the door closed.
Plan for a 4:30 Saturday close
The Exhibit Hall shuts at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, and the President's Reception starts at 7 p.m. that evening. We stage empty crates, label every device case and assign a packing order before opening day, so your clinical team hands over the demo units and leaves the floor on time.
One crate plan for booth and workshop
STS Hands-On Workshop sponsors bring their own product, equipment and any tissue, while STS provides the room, PPE and waste removal. If you run a workshop too, we pack the instrument sets and bench models so one shipment serves both, and build the booth demo around synthetic models.
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 STS Annual Meeting concept05 San Diego Convention Center · San Diego
Logistics for STS Annual Meeting 2027, handled
Booths at STS 2027 go up with union hands: this waterfront building treats installation and dismantle as union work under its contractor agreements, and our own project manager directs that labor from crate to carpet. Freight enters the ground-level exhibit halls through freight doors 16 feet high and 20 to 23 feet wide, so we size crates and tall components to clear them. Our drayage plan for this building uses Purple's estimate of roughly $176 per hundredweight (200-pound minimum); crates go to the advance warehouse under your booth number, and we file the EAC paperwork with the show's general contractor. Staff can walk from the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, STS's headquarters hotel, and from the Marriott Marquis and Manchester Grand Hyatt.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our San Diego Convention Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
The San Diego Convention Center's ground-level exhibit space runs from Hall A to Hall H, 525,701 square feet in all. STS sells 2027 signage around Halls D to H; these are the spaces that matter for your booth and team.
Ceilings run from 27 feet 4 inches in Halls D and E to 64 feet in Halls F to H on the venue's capacity chart; STS sells column wraps in the Level 1 lobby outside them.
Our advice: Under ceilings this high, a header or hanging element is set by the meeting's booth rules, not the building, so we draw to those once your space is assigned.
STS sells a shared digital marquee above the Hall E entrance and a double-sided video wall over the Lobby E escalators, each limited to three advertisers.
Our advice: If you buy a slot, we match the booth graphics to the same artwork so surgeons who see the screen recognise your booth on the floor.
The venue lists freight doors 20 feet wide in Halls A to C and 23 feet wide in Halls D to H, all 16 feet high: the opening every crate and tall component passes through.
Our advice: We split towers and light boxes into sections under 16 feet and plan pallet sizes around the door, so nothing waits at the dock.
STS's headquarters hotel, where it sells offsite dinner symposia and invitation-only function rooms sized from 25 or fewer to more than 100 guests, plus exhibitor staff meeting rooms.
Our advice: We ship a compact tabletop kit and pull-up graphics for a Bayfront function room in the same freight as the booth.
What Purple handles
- Booth and Show Floor Suite designed as one plan
- EAC paperwork, certificate of insurance and contractor orders
- Demo counters, camera arms and lockable device storage
- Freight to the advance warehouse and return shipping
- Union install and dismantle led by our own project manager
- Saturday pack-out plan timed to the 4:30 p.m. close
Timeline, counted back from move-in
Sponsorship artwork due: banners, column wraps, escalator runners, coffee sleeves, Wi-Fi: December 18, 2026. STS sets December 18, 2026 as the artwork date for its convention-center sponsorships, so we need your logo files and approved claims by early December to print matching booth graphics in the same run.
We need design sign-off by mid-November 2026.
- Mid-November 2026Design sign-off, with demo counters, screens, suite layout and every device's power and storage needs marked on the drawings.
- December 11 and 18, 2026Industry symposium session details due to STS on December 11; sponsorship artwork for banners, column wraps and escalator runners due December 18.
- Mid-November to late December 2026Production in Fishkill, NY: demo counters, device mounts, camera arms, fabric graphics and lighting built and tested with your sample devices.
- About 3 weeks before move-inCrates ship to the advance warehouse; electrical, internet, rigging and furniture orders placed with the show's contractors.
- Days before January 28, 2027Move-in at the San Diego Convention Center; our project manager and vetted union labor install, then we test every screen and demo station.
- January 28–30, 2027Exhibit Hall open; after the 4:30 p.m. close on Saturday we dismantle and ship the booth to storage or your next meeting.
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 STS Annual Meeting 2027
Getting to STS Annual Meeting 2027: airport and hotels
Fly in
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Three miles from the convention center, 10 to 15 minutes by car or shuttle, per the center
Stay
CMR, the only approved official registration and housing provider for STS 2027; the Hilton San Diego Bayfront is the headquarters hotel
Find the venue
San Diego Convention Center
111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Travel facts from sts.org.
STS Annual Meeting by the numbers
STS Annual Meeting year by year
How STS Annual Meeting 2027 compares with other medical devices shows
The medical devices shows closest to STS Annual 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| STS Annual MeetingThe Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) | January 28–31, 2027 | San Diego, CA | 2,352 professional (2026) |
| MD&M WestInforma Markets | February 9–11, 2027 | Anaheim, CA | Nearly 14,000 verified attendees · 1,700+ exhibitors (2025) |
| International Stroke ConferenceAmerican Heart Association / American Stroke Association | February 9–12, 2027 | Houston, TX | 6,700+ attendees (2026) |
| AAOS Annual MeetingAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) | March 3–6, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | 6,964 clinicians attendees · 584 exhibitors (2026) |
| ViVEHLTH and CHIME | March 14–17, 2027 | Nashville, TN | 8 Connect meetings per buyer (2027) |
| AAD Annual MeetingAmerican Academy of Dermatology | March 19–23, 2027 | San Francisco, CA | 20,111 registrants attendees (2026) |
| SIR Annual Scientific MeetingSociety of Interventional Radiology (SIR) | March 20–24, 2027 | Los Angeles, CA | 4,466 registrants attendees (2026) |
| MedtradeEmerald | March 23–25, 2027 | Fort Worth, TX | 3,000+ providers attendees · 280+ exhibitors (2026) |
| ASCRSAmerican Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) with the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA) | April 2–5, 2027 | San Diego, CA | 4,667 registrants attendees (2026) |
| SAGESSAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) | April 6–9, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | 90 exhibitors (2026) |
STS Annual Meeting exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before STS Annual Meeting
How much does a booth at STS 2027 cost?
For STS, start from a 10×20 inline rental at $7,500 to $15,000; a custom 20×20 island for a valve, perfusion or robotics line runs $50,000 to $120,000. STS bills space on top: $4,500 per 10×10 on its 2027 price list, $4,750 for a corner and an island booth rate of $5,000. Demo screens, bench models and freight to San Diego move our number most.
What are the exhibitor deadlines for STS 2027?
The next published dates: industry symposium titles, speakers and descriptions are due December 11, 2026, and artwork for banners, column wraps, escalator runners and other sponsorships is due December 18, 2026. Attendee early-bird rates end November 2, 2026. On the booth side, sign-off by mid-November lets our Fishkill shop finish before freight leaves for San Diego.
Can we rent a booth for STS 2027, and what does a rental include?
Yes. An STS rental from us bundles the frame, fabric graphics, lighting, a demo counter with lockable space for instrument trays and spare devices, and a monitor mount; freight, install and dismantle sit on the same fixed price. STS adds back drape, side rail drape, an ID sign and three badges per 10×10 to every booth, and the rental comes back to us after Saturday's close.
Can our own staff set up the booth at the San Diego Convention Center?
Not a built booth. In our experience installation and dismantling at this waterfront building are union work under its contractor agreements, whoever designed the booth. We register as your EAC, then our project manager directs the crew while your clinical team rehearses the demo.
What is a Show Floor Suite at STS 2027?
A 10×10 closed room inside the Exhibit Hall at $6,500, sold only to companies that also exhibit. STS includes a hardwall, a round table, four chairs, carpet, a waste basket and a small sign with your company name. We fit it out for sizing consults, investigator talks or product training away from the aisle, with the screen and device kit shipped in our crates.
What does drayage cost at the San Diego Convention Center?
Our planning figure for this building is about $176 per hundredweight for 2026 and 2027, with a 200-pound minimum, billed to you by the general contractor at its exhibitor kit tariff. Consoles, instrument cases and monitor stands add weight quickly, so we consolidate them into the booth crates and show drayage as its own line on the proposal.
Can we reuse our STS booth at other cardiothoracic meetings?
That is how we build it. The same frame and demo counters can follow you to the AATS Annual Meeting, the Vascular Annual Meeting or TCT, with graphics reprinted for each audience. Between meetings the booth sits in our storage, gets its counters refitted for the next device mix and ships to whichever advance warehouse the next meeting names.
Which hall is the STS 2027 Exhibit Hall in?
STS sells its 2027 sponsorship signage in the Level 1 lobby outside Halls D to H, in the Hall D and Hall G escalator lobbies and above the Hall E entrance. On the venue's capacity chart ceilings run from 27 feet 4 inches in Halls D and E to 64 feet in Halls F to H, so the roof is rarely the limit. We draw to your booth number once STS assigns it.
When is the STS 2027 Annual Meeting?
The 63rd STS Annual Meeting runs Thursday, January 28 to Sunday, January 31, 2027. The Exhibit Hall opens 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday; Sunday holds sessions only, from 7 to 9:30 a.m.
Where is STS 2027 held?
On downtown San Diego's waterfront, in the San Diego Convention Center on West Harbor Drive. STS names the Hilton San Diego Bayfront as its headquarters hotel, and its official hotels are within walking distance of the center, so STS runs no shuttles except to the President's Reception on Saturday evening.
How many people attend the STS Annual Meeting?
STS counted 2,352 professional registrants from 47 countries at its 2026 meeting in New Orleans, and 82% said they have a role in buying equipment or services. Earlier meetings drew 2,111 in Los Angeles (2025), 2,141 in San Antonio (2024) and 1,966 in San Diego (2023). About 130 companies exhibit each year.
Who organizes the STS Annual Meeting?
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the not-for-profit society for surgeons of the heart, lungs and esophagus, founded in 1964. Its exhibit manager sells booth space, its industry relations team sells symposia and sponsorships, and CMR is the only approved registration and housing provider for the meeting.
How do I get a booth at STS 2027?
Through the STS 2027 Exhibitor Center: new companies create an account and apply online, and returning exhibitors log in with their existing password. Space sells in 10×10 units, and every booth earns priority points toward choosing space for 2028. Sponsorships and Show Floor Suites are open only to companies that exhibit.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for STS Annual 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 STS Annual 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.
