Three Days, Two Floor Windows
The Best Practices 2026 EXPO & Conference runs three days at the Indiana Convention Center, Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 15 October 2026. The first clock is Tuesday at 8 a.m. and the last is Thursday at 12:15 p.m. A Monday arrival and a Thursday departure covers every session.
The EXPO floor opens for two days. Tuesday hours run noon to 6 p.m. and Wednesday hours run noon to 5 p.m. Thursday carries conference content only, so place the floor work in the first two days.
Tuesday: Sessions, Then the Floor
Conference Session #1 runs 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. Three workshops open at the same hour: the Compressed Air Treasure Hunt Workshop, the Sales Foundations Workshop and the Pneumatic Conveying Workshop. A coffee break runs 9:15 to 9:30 a.m. Conference Session #2 runs 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., and the Opening Session runs 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
The floor opens at noon. The Leak Detection Pavilion runs noon to 5:00 p.m. in a 20-foot by 30-foot footprint at the front of the hall. The sequence is fixed. A safety video comes first, then a four-minute leak-finding challenge with the LeakCam 600 acoustic imaging camera, then a demonstration of ultrasonic detection on small and hard-to-reach leaks, then the inspection-route and leak-quantification tools. Visitors enter a giveaway for two CS Instruments tools, a DP 500 dew point meter valued at $4,300 and an LD 500 leak detector with camera valued at $6,200.
The New Technology Pavilion is the exhibitor-run classroom on the floor, open 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Manufacturers present in 25-minute slots and any EXPO pass holder can attend. Tuesday's presenters include Trace Analytics, Michell Instruments, SMC, CS Instruments, Kaeser Compressors, Bobcat, Frigel and Boge America.
The Treasure Hunt Raffle draws 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. at Booth 503. First place is $500, and second and third places are $250 each day. Compressed Air Challenge Part 1 runs 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The networking event runs 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Punch Bowl Social.
Wednesday: Workshops, Pavilions, Plenary
The Women in Compressed Air, Vacuum & Cooling networking breakfast runs 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Conference Session #3 runs 8:00 to 9:15 a.m., and two long workshops run 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.: Compressed Air Challenge Part 2 and the Industrial Chilled Water Workshop. Coffee runs 9:15 to 9:30 a.m. Conference Session #4 starts at 9:30 a.m., the Precision Prospecting Workshop runs 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., and the Plenary Session runs 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
The Leak Detection Pavilion runs noon to 3:30 p.m. and the New Technology Pavilion runs 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The CAGI Certified Compressed Air System Specialist exam runs 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. and Compressed Air Challenge Part 3 runs 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The raffle draws 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. at Booth 503.
Thursday: The Close and the Airport Run
Conference Session #5 runs 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., the Sales Foundations Workshop runs 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. and Conference Session #6 runs 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The event ends there.
Indianapolis International Airport sits 15 minutes from downtown on the venue's published figure. The organiser's hotel and travel page carries two readings, an approximately 15-minute run from downtown and a 23-minute drive from the airport. Allow the longer reading when a departure flight is tight.
Walking Between the Hotels and the Hall
The organiser's room block names two downtown hotels, both connected to the Indiana Convention Center through indoor walking tunnels. The Crowne Plaza Downtown Union Station holds reduced-rate rooms at $214 a night with a cutoff extended to Friday 25 September. The Hyatt Regency Indianapolis holds rooms at $229 a night with a reservation deadline of Friday 18 September.
The venue publishes a skywalk rule of thumb rather than fixed hours. The facility and the skywalks lock down at approximately 11:00 p.m. and reopen at approximately 6:00 a.m., and the window is event-dependent.
Dinner on foot is easy to source. The venue lists 200 downtown restaurants within walking distance, the organiser describes downtown as walkable with hotels, restaurants and the hall joined by indoor walkways, and rideshare services and taxis are available. Visit Indy runs a page for this conference with restaurant ideas, maps and downtown recommendations at visitindy.com/bpe2026.
What It Costs
An EXPO pass costs $55 at the early-bird rate and $105 at the standard rate, with early-bird pricing until 30 September. A full conference pass runs $550 to $675 and a single-day pass runs $295 to $350. Registration sits at cabpexpo.com, and group discount enquiries go to kimberly@airbestpractices.com.