The American Dental Association is revamping its annual exhibition, doing away with an exhibitor categorization concept that was introduced at its 2004 convention.

Starting with the 2007 show in San Francisco, ADA will assign booth space based on priority points earned by exhibitors from past participation. It's a return to the process used prior to 2004. The categorization approach, which divided exhibitors into four clusters based on the products and services offered, didn't fly with attendees or exhibitors, based on extensive feedback.

At the 2006 convention in October in Las Vegas, the 300 ADA exhibitors with the highest number of priority points will select their space for the 2007 convention in San Francisco. All other exhibitors must vie for space assignment via mail-in application. For the 2006 show in Las Vegas, ADA is expecting 800 exhibitors and more than 50,000 attendees.