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The story of the Bridges™ event, Ultradent's acclaimed annual gathering, began at a barbecue. In 2016, Dr. Renato Miotto Palo, Ultradent clinical consultant and dentist, was preparing a meal at his home in Brazil with the late Antonio Gomes, his friend and then-general manager of Ultradent Brazil.
Somewhere between the grill and the table, the conversation turned to a question that had been quietly bothering them both: How can we genuinely thank the clinicians and educators who give their time, expertise, and credibility to help Ultradent grow?
In Brazil, the relationship between dental companies and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) carries significant weight. Brazilian dentists often look to the KOLs they trust for guidance and validation before adopting a product or technique. For Dr. Palo and Gomes, that made the question feel especially important. The standard answer in the industry was “a nice dinner” and that felt insufficient.
"Let's do something different," Dr. Palo recalls saying to Gomes. "Let's create an experience where everyone is involved together."
Dr. Palo (left), Gomes (second from left), Dr. Jose Garofalo (second from right), and Dr. Paulo Vinicius Soares (right) during the second Bridges event.
The concept of a shared experience became the foundation of the Bridges event. It has since grown into one of the most prestigious dental gatherings in Brazil, and this year it makes its debut in Lisbon, Portugal.
A Different Premise
Putting together the first event, Dr. Palo and Gomes wanted to address something they had noticed about traditional KOL meetings: Relaxation and genuine connection were rarely prioritized, and the format usually amounted to a sequence of paid speakers presenting unrelated topics. "We wanted to create lasting connections," Palo says, "and we felt we couldn't achieve that simply by writing checks to people."
KOLs were invited one by one and asked to deliver a one-hour lecture. In lieu of payment, they were offered a memorable experience following the presentations. Some initially expressed skepticism about foregoing an honorarium without knowing what the experience would entail, but they ultimately agreed.
Dr. Palo lecturing during the first Bridges event.
The group gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the inaugural Bridges event in 2017. Once the lectures concluded, guests boarded helicopters for a tour over the city before landing at Gomes's residence, where a celebrity chef shared trade secrets while preparing the evening meal. As the speakers departed, they offered a sentiment Dr. Palo had been hoping to hear: "Ultradent is different."
Principles That Carried Forward
What worked at the first event has shaped every Bridges event since.
Spouses of lecturers are invited to attend alongside lecturers, as Dr. Palo and the Ultradent team believe the experience should belong to the family, not just the professional. The audience experience receives the same level of care: Lighting, sound, video quality, and the temperature of the event space are deliberately considered. Attendees are even given a themed blanket for moments when the air conditioning runs cool.
Sharing a meal builds connection, and the Bridges event is built around that principle. In many ways, meals are treated with the same care as the science and are designed to elevate the overall experience rather than fill a break in the schedule.
Speakers don’t retreat to a private green room between sessions. Instead, they eat alongside the audience. "If you are watching a presentation and a clinician you admire is watching it with you, that information carries more weight," says Dr. Palo. "You're getting the same information as the dentists you look up to, and you have the chance to talk with them and ask questions."
What Makes the Bridges Event Different
Most CE events are organized around speakers presenting their best individual ideas. The Bridges event flips that concept. "Instead of, say, three different topics with three distinct sets of information, we present a fluid flow of information that connects and complements itself," Dr. Palo says, adding that speakers often cross-reference one another in real time. “A presentation might end with the line, ‘Don't miss the next session; it's a continuation of what I'm covering right now.’ The next speaker opens with, ‘Do you remember what the previous presenter said? That's why I'm doing this.’"
There have even been moments when conflicting ideas were presented on stage at the same time. "During the third Bridges event, we brought two speakers to the stage whose views on the topic didn't fully align," says Dr. Palo. "Giving dentists the chance to hear different perspectives debated by experienced clinicians lends real credibility to the information. The audience leaves with a deeper command of the subject than a single viewpoint would offer."
That kind of honest exchange only works because the speakers are free to say what they actually believe. The Bridges event is not a product showcase. "All presentations are credible and free from commercial influence," Dr. Palo says. "KOLs feel comfortable speaking openly at these events because we have never asked them to sell our products to the audiences."
Dr. Palo (bottom) taking a selfie of speakers during the sixth Bridges event.
Presenters are asked only to share their honest experiences. "We simply ask that, when they do address our products, they teach the correct way to apply them so they deliver optimal performance, enabling clinicians to provide the best possible care to their patients."
The result is a single, connected narrative that unfolds across the entire event; something that only works if the speakers genuinely know and trust each other. Bridges events, and the gatherings built around them, give speakers the chance to build that trust outside the lecture hall: over meals, on bus rides, on walks, and over a good glass of wine.
Lisbon
Since Dr. Palo and Gomes first imagined the Bridges event in 2016, it has been built on the idea that education and connection aren't separate things, which many CE events still haven't fully absorbed. The clinician who shares a lunch table with a speaker remembers the lecture differently than the one who sits in the back row and slips out at the break.
That principle is what brings the Bridges event to Lisbon this year, and it shapes every detail of what attendees can expect. The venue sits on the riverfront with a striking view, and every element has been carefully considered to keep the focus on the science.
Food, as always, is part of the experience. "Portugal is renowned for having one of the best culinary traditions in the world," Dr. Palo says. "We eat with our mouths, but also with our eyes. Presentation makes all the difference."
Just like audiences at every previous Bridges event, attendees in Lisbon can expect clinicians of international stature presenting connected, unbiased science, food that helps amplify the experience, and a room where the people on stage are the same people sitting at your table.
Join the Bridges event experience here.
About Dr. Renato Miotto Palo
Dr. Palo is a graduate of the Paulista University - Sao Paulo - Brazil. He obtained a specialized level of endodontics in a postgraduate program of the University of Sao Paulo - USP - Bauru - Brazil. Dr. Palo received his master's degree from the State University of Sao Paulo - Sao Jose dos Campos campus, where he was a collaborating professor of endodontics. The Doctorate was achieved at the State University of Sao Paulo - Araraquara campus. He has worked as a part-time endodontist and part-time professor. His clinical practice was dedicated to endodontics and whitening. Dr. Palo presided over two postgraduate programs in Brazil. He has organized dental congresses, including as scientific coordinator of Sao Paulo Dental Meeting. His scientific background includes books, published articles, book chapters and merit recognitions. He has been interviewed to talk about the mechanism of action of bleaching in media programs in different countries. He is often invited to judge master's and doctoral thesis, and has also worked as an article reviewer. Dr. Palo has carried out in vitro and in vivo experiments and has worked as a developer and evaluator of new materials. Dr. Palo gave more than 250 presentations in 66 countries and today works in the Clinical Affairs Department at Ultradent Products.
He speaks Portuguese, Spanish and English.
