August 23-26, 2026
The Park Vista – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
705 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
This is an in-person event, open to any food safety professionals and policymakers in local/state/federal government, industry, and academic sectors.
Visit Gatlinburg App – Available for Apple and Google Play
Agenda
The AFDOSS Board is currently hard at work preparing the agenda for the 2026 Annual Educational Conference. Please check back here again for updates as they become available.
Conference Registration
Registration is currently closed. Please check back in February 2026 for a link to the Conference Registration Page.
Conference registration is NOW OPEN, and is available via our membership platform, Wild Apricot. To register, please click this link – REGISTER HERE.
Please ensure your membership status for 2024 is up to date before registering. This will ensure you can register at the Regular Member Conference Rate.
Hotel & Transportation
The 2026 AFDOSS AEC is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, at The Park Vista – a Doubletree by Hilton. The negotiated conference room rate is tied to the federal per diem rate lor lodging, currently $110.00 per night, plus applicable sales tax (12.75%).
Please check back in February 2026 for the Group Code you will need to book a room at the negotiated rate.
Per the terms of our contract, the cutoff date for reservations is Friday, July 31, 2026.
Located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the eastern region of the Great Smoky Mountain range, The Park Vista is only 17 miles from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport (GKT) and 50 miles from the McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS).
Driving directions are available here.
Gatlinburg Free Trolley
May – October: 8:30 AM – 12 MIDNIGHT
There are no fares or fees to ride The Gatlinburg Trolleys. (Map – PDF)
Gatlinburg Trolleys operate daily, serving visitors and residents 365 days a year, providing an easy, free way to get around Gatlinburg. Visitors in the area can board a Trolley at any stop in the City and be off to their destination. All Trolleys stop at the Mass Transit Center, located at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. The Gatlinburg Trolley can also be used as an easy way to get into downtown without having to drive into the City and find a parking spot. You can use the Park-n-Ride Lot at the Gatlinburg Welcome Center, located at 1011 Banner Road in Gatlinburg, just off of the Spur just before entering town, board a trolley, and be in downtown Gatlinburg in a matter of minutes.
Gatlinburg Trolley App for Apple
Gatlinburg Trolley App for Google Play
Sponsors and Exhibitors
If you are interested in supporting AFDOSS by being a Conference Sponsor or Exhibitor, please contact our AFDOSS Treasurer, Craig Nielsen. We have a few different options available to highlight your regulatory or industry community.
Live Auction
As is tradition, AFDOSS will be having a Live Auction to benefit the Mary Logan Scholarship Fund. For more information about the auction, please click here.
Continuing Education
AFDOSS will be applying for Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) through NEHA. The amount of CEUs will be determined once the conference agenda is finalized. Forms to claim CEUs will be made available for conference attendees at the registration desk.
Contact Information
Please use our contact form, for any general event questions or suggestions. If you have specific registration or AEC payment questions, please contact our AFDOSS Treasurer, Craig Nielsen, at AFDOSS.Craig@gmail.com.
This program is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award R13FD007553 totaling $30,000 with 55 percentage funded by FDA/HHS and $25,000 amount and 45 percentage funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by FDA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.