2022 Chicago Midwinter Attendee Guide

Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting Resources

The biggest event of the weekend brings lands at McCormick Place with more than 250 educational courses and more than 300 exhibitors. While COVID-19 restrictions remain in place in Chicago, and thus at the event, organizers expect an attendance total in the range of 15,000 people across the event’s 3 days. Here’s the key details for the 2022 Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting:

Event Dates: February 24-26, 2022

Exhibit Hall Hours:

• Thursday, Feb. 24 9 am – 5:30 pm
• Friday, Feb. 25 10 am – 6:30 pm
• Saturday, Feb. 26 9 am – 3 pm

Event Location: McCormick Place West, 2301 S. Indiana Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Event Website: https://www.cds.org/midwinter-meeting

Exhibit Hall Map: https://www.expocad.com/host/fx/cds/2022mwm/exfx.html

New Products To See: (while there are always surprises at Midwinter, here are some of the new innovations we know of already)

1. HeyGears announces a pair of chairside 3D printers
2. Shofu announces its Beautifil Kids SA
3. Medit and Formlabs team up for Chairside CAD/CAM solution
4. Midmark and Bien-Air announce partnership
5. Ultradent adds a new root canal sealer
6. Bien-Air’s new Nova electric handpiece debuts
7. OraPharma moves into the clear aligner market with the launch of OraFit

Lab Day Resources

Not to be outdone by the CDS event, Lab Day 2022 returns to the Hyatt Regency in Chicago and will once again be the largest dental lab event in America, and don’t let the name fool you, Lab Day is now a three-day event with more than 200 exhibitors. So, whether you’re a lab professional, or a clinician checking out the technician education and the abundant lab technology innovations, here’s the details for lab day all in one place.

Event Dates & Times: February 24-26, 2022 – Seminars from 7 am – 7 pm

Exhibit Hall Hours:

• Friday, Feb. 25 9 am – 5 pm
• Saturday, Feb. 26 9 am – 4 pm

Event Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60601

Event Website: https://lmtmag.com/shows/lmt-lab-day-chicago-2022

Event Map: https://lmtmag.com/static/pdfs/labdaychicago_venue.pdf 

New Products To See: (while there are always surprises at Lab Day, here are some of the new innovations we know of already)

1. A new 3D print resin for permanent crowns from 3D Systems and Saremco
2. New printers and materials from Desktop Health
3. New printers from HeyGears
4. New BruxZir zirconia blanks from Glidewell Dental
5. And much more

Other Concurrent Events

There are numerous other events scheduled in Chicago for multiple academies and specialist groups. Here are details on a handful of these concurrent dental shows.

Academy of Operative Dentistry Annual Meeting

• Event Dates: February 24-25, 2022
• Event Location: The Drake, 140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL 60611
• Event Website: https://academyofoperativedentistry.com/annual_meeting/registration/

American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics 71st Annual Scientific Session

• Event Dates: February 25-26, 2022
• Event Location: Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, 540 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
• Event Website: https://www.fixedprosthodontics.org/cgi/ex.cgi/page/AAFP/Meeting1/meeting_2022 

American Academy of Restorative Dentistry Annual Meeting

• Event Dates: February 26-27, 2022
• Event Location: Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 E Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL 60611
• Event Website: https://www.restorative-academy.com/2022-program.html

93rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Prosthodontic Society

• Event Dates: February 24-25, 2022
• Event Location: Swissôtel Chicago, 323 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601
• Event Website: https://www.prostho.org/annual_meeting/

Chicago Things to Do and See (from a lifelong Chicagoan):

Chicago is always a great city to visit, which is one of the reasons I love living here. There’s never an end to the things to do, places to go, and shows to see. While a dental show might be what brings you to town, if you can get away from the classrooms and exhibit halls, be sure to check out some of the city. Whether you’re downtown, or near McCormick Place, or both, here’s a Chicagoan’s recommendations for things to do, and foods to try.

Things to Do:

Chicago is home to numerous world-class museums, and many are located in or near downtown and near McCormick Place. This means a wide selection of institutions are easy to visit and they’re truly all great.

If art is your thing both The Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art feature wonderful collections and great exhibitions. If history and culture (or dinosaurs) are your things, the Field Museum can’t be beaten, and the Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium are right next door as well.

One place you might not hear much about, but locals love to visit is the Chicago Cultural Center. This downtown architectural marvel is host to art exhibitions, concerts, and dance performances. The place is small enough to be enjoyed in a single short visit, and even better, it’s often free.

If outdoor conditions aren’t too daunting, Millennium Park is worth a visit. While the Crown Fountain isn’t operating during the colder months, and the gardens aren’t in bloom, Cloud Gate has become a symbol of the city, and locals and tourists remain intrigued by this shiny bean. If you happen to be walking along this stretch of Michigan Avenue, it’s worth a short detour to see The Bean.

Downtown Chicago is also famous for shopping, and the Magnificent Mile remains a fun place to pop in and out of a range of high-end stores, but be sure to venture off Michigan Avenue as there is also great shopping along the nearby streets.

Foods to Eat:

Chicago is and remains a great food town, and we have a seemingly endless supply of great restaurants to choose from. Name a cuisine, and there are likely multiple, quality options nearby. But rather than throw around a bunch of restaurant recommendations, I’m going to serve up some overall recommendations of things to try.

We’ll start this off with the city’s most famous food, deep-dish pizza. This is not the pizza we order all the time, it’s a great treat, and definitely, something to try. If I’m taking people out for Chicago style deep dish, I’m usually going to Pequod’s, but as that is not right downtown, I’ll say this about the many options closer to the events; they’re all pretty great. Lou Malnati’s, Pizzaria Uno (and Due), Giordano’s, Gino’s East, all make a good pie and represent the city well.

Next up is another city icon, the Chicago-style hot dog. You really can’t go wrong getting a Chicago-style dog (topped with yellow mustard, onion, tomato, relish, pickle, celery salt, and optional sport peppers) from just about anywhere. Around Chicago, we even pick them up on the way out of Home Depot. However, if you’re venturing out for a hot dog, most places also offer another local delicacy, the Italian Beef sandwich. This is another great thing to try while in town because you really can’t find this sandwich anywhere else. It’s thin-sliced roast beef, simmered in its jus, layered on a roll, topped with sweet and/or hot peppers and then often dipped back into the jus. It’s a sandwich that’s more delicious than it is messy, and it’s definitely a messy meal.

When it comes to sweets, we have plenty to offer, but one I’ll highly recommend is the Garrett Mix of cheddar and caramel popcorn from any of the number of Garrett’s locations. It’s a rich, sweet, and salty mix that is hard to put down, but be warned, it will stain your fingers.

For those at McCormick Place looking to escape for some nearby food, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the multitude of restaurants in Chicago’s nearby Chinatown neighborhood. Also nearby is the traditionally Mexican, but now more multicultural Pilsen neighborhood with some of the best Mexican food around.

Future Dental Shows

If you’re not planning to make it to Chicago this year, there’s still plenty of opportunities to check out the numerous new products making their debuts during Midwinter at other dental events in 2022. Here’s a list of some upcoming events that might be a fit for your plans.

• Hinman 2022
  March 17-19, Atlanta, Georgia
  https://hinman.org/
• Envista Summit 2022
  March 30 - April 2, Austin, Texas
  https://events.envistaco.com/event/160c50fa-9441-45ac-8878-546d63fc594e/summary
• Henry Schein ThriveLive 2022
  April 7-9, Las Vegas, Nevada
  https://henryscheinevents.com/thrivelive-2022/
• 38th Annual AACD Scientific Session
  April 27-30, Orlando, Florida
  https://www.aacdconference.com
• AAE22
  April 27-30, Phoenix, Arizona
  http://www.aae.org/aae22
• CDA Presents the Art and Science of Dentistry
  May 12-14, Anaheim, California
  https://www.cda.org/Home/News-and-Events/CDA-Presents/Attendees
• 2022 AADSM Annual MeetingMay 13-15, Dallas, Texas
  https://www.aadsm.org/2022_aadsm_annual_meeting.php
• Lab Day West
  May 20-21, Anaheim, California
  https://lmtmag.com/shows/lmt-lab-day-west-2022
• AAO 2022
  May 21-24, Miami Beach, Florida
  https://meetings.aaoinfo.org/annual-session-2022/
• ADHA22 Annual Conference
  June 24-26, Louisville, Kentucky
  https://adha2022.org