Types and Fees
Linear Booths
Inline 10’ x 10’ booth $3,500
Corner 10’ x 10’ booth $3,500
Island Booth
$35 per net square foot
An island booth is defined as a booth with all sides exposed to an aisle. To determine the cost, multiply the size by $35 (e.g., 20’ x 20’ = 400 x $35 = $14,000).
Informational Exhibits and Posters
The Academy offers associations and organizations with the tax-exempt status of 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) the following options for distributing information:
- A limited number of linear and corner 10’ x 10’ booths in the Informational Exhibit area are available for one-half the published commercial rate shown above.
- Informational posters fees are $250 and include a:
- Forty-eight inch (48”) vertical x ninety-six inch (96”) horizontal poster board, sign noting the poster number and title,
- four foot (4‘) table and chair, and
- two complimentary registrations for poster presenters.
Associations and Organizations must submit evidence of their tax-exempt status with their Exhibit Space Application.
Adjacent and Shared Exhibit Space
Sharing of exhibit space is permitted only for divisions of the same company and those with exclusive distributing agreements.
Consideration of adjacent and shared exhibit space requests are offered only if the request is submitted as part of the exhibit space application package. Evidence of exclusive distributing agreements must be submitted at the time the request to share exhibit space is submitted.
- Each company’s Exhibit Space Application must include a cover letter on company letterhead that describes this request and indicates that a copy of the request has been sent to the meeting contact at the other company or companies making this a mutual request.
- The space assignment is based on the companies’ averaged priority points and ophthalmologic relevance rating.
Exhibitors may not sublet or assign booth spaces.
Decorative and Cosmetic Contact Lenses
Because the use of these products may cause serious eye disorders and infections, they may not be sold, displayed, distributed, promoted or otherwise marketed at the meeting.
Third Party Authorization
An exhibitor who engages the services of an outside management firm to handle exhibit details and logistics, meeting and events, or publicity and adverting, or all of these planning aspects must complete a Third Party Authorization Form identifying the firm who will work on its behalf. Email exhibitions@aao.org for a copy of this form. This arrangement will not be taken into account when granting the extension of a deadline; take particular care to ensure that the management firm you engage will meet all deadlines.
The third party company representative may make a Request for Third Party Authorization (PDF 64KB); submit to exhibitions@aao.org.
The submission of the Third Party Authorization Form is not accepted in lieu of the Exhibitor Designated Contractor Authorization Form and the required certificate of insurance for contractors hired to perform a service. Please review the Exhibitor Designated Contractor section for more information.
Exhibit Space Application
The exhibit space application was sent to 2017 exhibitors in late March. A fillable PDF may be found in the Exhibitor Portal. Review an example of the Exhibit Space Application posted in the Exhibitor Portal. This document outlines the sections of the application in detail.
Additional Information
Products/Services
Identify all the products and services your company plans to exhibit, and briefly describe them on the Additional Information form.
- This information is used to determine each company’s ophthalmologic relevance rating. (see Assignment of Exhibit Space in this section)
Exhibitors may display only those products and services that they regularly manufacture or sell.
All products and services displayed by exhibitors must receive prior approval by the Academy.
The Academy may withhold approval of the exhibition of products or services if it determines, in its sole discretion, that they do not further the educational, scientific or practice needs of Academy fellows and members. At the request of the Academy, an exhibitor shall immediately remove any unapproved product or service included in a display.
Approval to exhibit additional products or services not included on the Additional Information form must be requested in writing by Friday, Oct. 12.
Company Description
Provide a 25-word company description that will be added to your Academy file and used to populate the digital booth in the Virtual Exhibition.
Assignment of Exhibit Space
In general, exhibit space is assigned preferentially according to the exhibiting company’s earned priority points and ophthalmologic relevance rating.
However, the Academy reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to allocate space on any other basis it deems appropriate for AAO 2018.
The Academy also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reconfigure the exhibit hall floor plan and reassign any exhibiting company at any time. If the affected exhibitor does not agree with the relocation and wishes to withdraw from the exhibition, all payments will be refunded.
Exhibit space assignment notices will be emailed on Friday, June 1.
Priority Points
To derive any benefit from your accrued priority points, you must arrange for delivery of the completed application package to the Academy by the priority point deadline of Friday, April 27.
Priority points are accumulated annually and added to the cumulative total following these guidelines:
- 1 point for exhibiting at the current meeting
- 1 point for exhibiting at five previous consecutive meetings
- 1 point per one-hundred (100) square foot of exhibit space secured or equivalent space used at the current meeting (e.g., a 20’x 30’island would earn 6 points; a 40’ x 40’ island would earn 16 points, etc.)
- 2 points for sending full payment with the space application package by the priority point deadline, Friday, April 27
- 2 points for populating the free Digital Booth by the Mobile Meeting Guide deadline, Wednesday, Aug. 22
- 2 points for using ninety-five to one hundred percent (95 – 100%) of the initial hotel room block secured through the official housing service
- 3 points for completing the entire exhibitor survey
Current Priority Point Overview:
13 companies have: over 1000 points
79 companies have: 200 – 999 points
123 companies have: 100 – 199 points
86 companies have: 50 – 99 points
79 companies have: 25 – 49 points
75 companies have: 11 – 24 points
194 companies have: 1 – 10 points
Contact exhibitions@aao.org with questions regarding your company’s accrued points.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Companies that have merged with, have been purchased by, or have purchased another company may use the exhibit history of whichever company is most favorable, but not the combined history of multiple companies.
The Academy must be notified in writing that the acquisition or merger between companies has been completed, along with the effective date of this change.
The sale of a product, product line, certain technologies, or certain assets to another company will be considered in the transfer of priority points only to the extent determined by the Academy in its sole discretion.
A company that decides to exhibit independently from its parent company or that undergoes reorganization, and secures individual exhibit space will retain the points accrued by the parent company.
Ophthalmologic Relevance Rating
The ophthalmologic relevance rating is based on how closely an exhibiting company’s primary products or services relate to the science and practice of ophthalmology.
Category A is composed of exhibitors of products and services exclusively concerned with ophthalmologic diagnosis, treatment and surgery. Examples of Category A products and services include intraocular lenses, surgical instruments, ocular prosthetics, operating room equipment and supplies, pharmaceuticals, physician and patient education materials.
Category B is composed of exhibitors of peripheral products and services, and exhibitors displaying used equipment. Examples of Category B products and services include intercoms and answering systems, practice management services, office/facility design and furnishings, computer systems, market research, equipment finance and leasing, cosmetic products and services, frames, lenses and lens finishing.
Market Research
Companies conducting market research are assigned exhibit space according to ophthalmologic relevance rating, Category B.