The published figure
The Indiana Convention Center lists the American Dental Association Scientific Sessions at 4,000 forecast attendance for October 8 to October 10, 2026. The figure carries the venue publisher's standing. The organiser's own pages carry the schedule, the pass prices and the housing terms. Base-demand underwriting sizes against the published number, so 4,000 is the ceiling on this date.
The venue footer publishes 7,100 hotel rooms in downtown Indianapolis and 4,700 rooms connected to the Center by skywalk. The 4,000 forecast is 56.3 percent of the downtown room count. Downtown Indianapolis averaged a daily rate of $209.11 on 64.7 percent occupancy and $135.20 RevPAR, in the Downtown Indy Alliance snapshot that Bradford Allen republished on 19 March 2026 from CoStar and STR data. A night of 4,000 paid rooms at that average is $836,440. The figure assumes every delegate books and pays the average rate.
The clocks the publishers carry
The organiser's Schedule of Events runs registration 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The Exhibit Hall runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. A delegate who arrives Thursday and leaves Saturday holds two nights.
A Wednesday arrival adds a third night. Registration opens Wednesday, October 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. The registration page carries the instruction: "Attendee registration opens on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Head over early to avoid lines on Thursday, Oct. 8!" The published clocks support Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a delegate who uses that window, and they support a Saturday-night stay for no delegate.
The parallel Indiana programme
The venue's event line reads: "The ADA 2026 Scientific Session will be held alongside the Indiana Dental Association Center for Excellence program." The organiser's grid places that programme on Friday, October 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., inside the meeting's own days. A state association programme reads as a same-day component for Indiana dentists. Neither publisher prints attendance for it, and neither prints a split between the two programmes. If a share of the 4,000 drives in for the Friday block, the room-night count behind the forecast sits below the headline. Nothing published quantifies that share.
Saturday, October 10
The venue's calendar puts three events in the building that Saturday. The ADA Scientific Sessions close the day against 4,000 forecast. The FullScale Symposium closes the day against 1,000 forecast. The ABC Health & Fitness Expo opens the day against 2,000 forecast. The ADA House of Delegates then runs October 10 to 13 in Indianapolis. A property that underwrites Thursday and Friday holds a two-night base across the changeover.
The block terms are unpublished
The ADA travel page carries the housing mechanics and no numbers. It states: "Book your hotel room by Sept. 18 for the best selection and availability." Housing questions route to ADA@maritz.com. The "Browse hotels" and "View hotels and details" links point at a registration subdomain that returns a loading shell. The property roster, the block rate and the block size stay off the record.
The airline windows describe the arrival envelope. United agreement code ZRRK230223 applies to travel dates October 4 to 15, 2026. Southwest offers 3 percent off Anytime and Business Select fares under ADA company ID 99256010. A 12-day window describes a travel envelope around the meeting, and a claim that the 4,000 books inside one block rests on nothing published.
Procurement can put the block terms on the record at the point of the request. Ask the housing agent for the block rate, the block size, the cut-off date and the attrition clause. Those four terms decide the room-night risk on this date.
Recurrence
The ADA Future Meetings page states that the 2026 edition runs October 8 to 10 in Indianapolis. It adds that the Board of Trustees "is evaluating member needs for the ADA national annual scientific session beyond 2026, with a focus distinct from what's offered at local, state, and regional levels." The page carries no 2027 or 2028 edition. Base-demand underwriting leans on recurrence.
The position
Underwrite the ADA week at the two nights the published clocks hold: Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9. Add Wednesday, October 7 for delegates who use the opening registration window. Price the two nights against the meeting's own deadlines. Advanced pricing ended September 28 at 5 p.m. CT. The housing recommendation deadline was September 18. Registration cancellations for a full refund less $50 ran to September 18 at 5 p.m. CT. All four deadlines fall before the first arrival, so the property prices the week on a closed book. The published record supports two nights at the market's average rate. The shoulder nights and the block terms need the request for proposals to produce them.