This year’s HLTH is one for the history books, and attendees should come ready to make their mark.
“We’re assembling the full pantheon of health care change-makers to co‑author what comes next,” said Barry Edelman, global head of marketing for the health care conference, in an interview with Vendelux. “We’re giving these modern heroes an arena worthy of their quests.”
If it all sounds a little fabulistic, that’s because it is.
Over 12,000 people will gather at the Venetian Expo in Vegas this fall under one theme: “Heroes & Legends: Writing Healthcare’s Next Chapter.”
From October 19 to 22, doctors, health payers, investors, founders and an assortment of three-letter job titles (CTOs, CDOs and CEOs) will duke it out over what’s next in the $4.9 trillion industry.
Fittingly, the convention center will be retrofitted with rooms and stages named after some of the most grandiose virtues and settings in Greek mythology.
The Mount Olympus Main Stage will give way to the Ethos, Kairos and Logos stages for smaller breakout sessions.
An “AI Transformation Zone” will feature three immersive theaters where start‑ups and established enterprises will run live demos. A “Startup Pitch Tournament,” similar to what we saw at RSAC this spring, is sure to be just like “Shark Tank, but everyone actually knows their TAM and regulatory pathway,” Edelman said.
The event has been designed to encourage everyone’s bravest impulses.
Or as Edelman puts it: “Fewer canned panels, more say‑the‑quiet‑part‑out‑loud conversations, live problem‑solving, and formats that keep phones in pockets and minds on fire.”
If this year’s HIMSS was any indication, AI will remain a major topic of discussion both on and off the trade show floor.
HLTH is going one step further by testing AI capabilities on its own website, which currently features a LLM-powered support agent to answer last minute queries from panicked sponsors and exhibitors. “It’s our first step toward a bigger goal: turning every interaction, online and eventually on‑site, into a simple ‘just ask and we’ll handle it’ conversation,” Edelman said.
As for what marketers can expect, Edelman says the conference will be nothing short of a “week‑long live laboratory for marketers.
“Need fresh buyer intel? Walk the 12,000‑person focus group on the floor. Chasing pipeline? Breakfast roundtables, hosted‑buyer meetings, and networking options run from sunrise to midnight, every moment engineered for lead‑gen,” he said.
In addition to a packed expo hall, the most prominent demigods in the worlds of health care, tech, education and investment will take the stage for keynotes.
Speakers include Kaiser Permanente CEO Greg Adams, actress and health care investor Sophia Bush, Hims & Hers CMO Dr. Jessica Shepherd, as well as executives from Houston Methodist, CVS Health, Google and Microsoft, and professors from Harvard and Stanford universities.
This year’s title sponsors include the American Heart Association, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Google for Health, PwC and Zelis.
It’s been a swift journey from upstart to industry leader for HLTH, which broke into the scene in 2018 with just 3,500 attendees.
The brainchild of Shoptalk and Money 20/20 co-founder Jonathan Weiner, HLTH has dealt with its fair share of last-minute event mishaps. Last year’s biggest one involved none other than First Lady Dr. Jill Biden herself.
“Secret Service protocols shifted minute‑to‑minute; whole sections of the venue transformed overnight,” Edelman said. “Our team’s calm‑under‑pressure superpower (plus a few gallons of cold brew) kept everything on track. Moral of the story: experience beats panic, every time.”
HLTH will run from October 19 to 22 at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas. Tickets start at $2,995, with reduced prices for government employees and startups, as well as free ticket options for members of the press, influencers and hosted buyers who secure eight or more meetings.
