IOACON 2026 – 71st Annual Conference of the Indian Orthopaedic Association

IOACON 2026 is the 71st Annual Conference of the Indian Orthopaedic Association and will be held at the Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The main conference runs from 4 to 6 December 2026, with additional educational activities around the meeting including a postgraduate lecture course, workshops and CME sessions.

As the annual national conference of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, IOACON covers a broad spectrum of contemporary orthopaedic practice. The 2026 programme is being built around evidence-based scientific sessions, emerging technologies, original research and practical clinical discussion. The organisers highlight advanced scientific sessions, international faculty exchange, research and paper presentations, interactive case-based discussions and a Young Orthopaedic Talent Forum, giving both established surgeons and younger clinicians opportunities to present and discuss clinical work and new ideas.

A particularly prominent part of this edition is the Technology & Innovation Pavilion. The programme and exhibition plans include robotics, navigation, AI-assisted diagnostics and surgical planning, 3D printing, patient-specific implants, smart implants, biomaterials, regenerative medicine and digital orthopaedics. The planned Innovation & Technology Hub also includes dedicated lecture space and live demonstration areas, making technology a substantial part of the meeting rather than simply an exhibition theme.

Research presentation is another major component of IOACON. Alongside the main scientific sessions, the meeting provides space for original clinical research and new concepts, with formats aimed at both experienced faculty and younger orthopaedic surgeons. The Young Orthopaedic Talent Forum is specifically intended for younger surgeons to present cases, research ideas and innovative perspectives with input from senior colleagues.

The scale of the meeting is also notable. The organisers currently expect more than 8,000 national and international orthopaedic surgeons, over 1,500 postgraduate students and nearly 500 faculty members, together with an extensive technical exhibition. These figures are organiser projections rather than final attendance numbers, but they illustrate the size of the audience being planned for IOACON 2026.

For clinicians following orthopaedic surgery, trauma, reconstruction, implants and emerging technology, IOACON 2026 offers a useful overview of developments across Indian orthopaedics alongside international scientific exchange. Registration is open for IOA members, postgraduate students, non-members and international delegates.