A healthcare PR plan for HLTH 2026 needs three things: one named, sourced result for every executive, a pitch matched to the right content track, and a plan for the coverage that follows the show. HLTH USA 2026 runs November 15 to 18 at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas. HLTH 2025 rewarded specifics, with longevity, women's health, GLP-1 care and responsible AI producing the most quotable moments.
Last updated October 27, 2026. This page includes the HLTH 2025 recap that previously lived on a separate URL.
What are the key takeaways for HLTH 2026?
The key takeaway for HLTH 2026 is that specific, sourced claims get covered and general ones get lost among more than 950 sponsors and exhibitors. The 2025 show showed the same pattern, and the 2026 theme, The Age of Intelligent Healthcare is Here, puts AI claims under closer scrutiny.
- Attach one number and one named program to every executive who will speak or take meetings.
- Match each pitch to a single track, such as AI, consumer health, pharma or investment.
- Plan for named, dated coverage, because that coverage is what stays findable after the show.
Quick facts: HLTH USA 2026
HLTH USA 2026 runs November 15 to 18, 2026 at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, according to HLTH's event schedule. Partner event pages repeat HLTH's figures of 12,250 or more attendees, 4,400 or more C-suite executives and 950 or more sponsors and exhibitors.
How does HLTH differ from other health IT conferences?
HLTH differs from most health IT conferences because its audience spans payers, providers, investors, policymakers and startups in one venue instead of one segment. A narrower clinical or IT show reaches a single buyer group, while an announcement at HLTH can reach enterprise customers, investors and policy press at the same time.
That mixed audience changes how an announcement should be written. The Health & Wellness PR practice page explains how announcements are built for several audiences at once, and the healthcare PR guide for hospitals and health systems covers the wider strategy behind event announcements.
What happened at HLTH 2025, and what should brands take from it?
HLTH 2025 centered on personalization, with panels on longevity, women's health, GLP-1 medications and responsible AI that gave brands specific, quotable positions. The table below sets each theme next to the pitch lesson it offers for 2026.
| HLTH 2025 theme | What was said and shown | Pitch lesson for 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity and preventive care | Max Marchione, co-founder and CEO of SuperPower, framed longevity as health done right. Prenuvo, MIDI Health and Parsley Health were cited for early detection and root-cause care. | Frame a product as earlier detection with a named method, not as a general wellness promise. |
| Women's health and menopause | Founders from Natural Cycles, Alloy Health, Northbound Ventures and Respin Health spoke. Sharon Malone, Chief Medical Advisor at Alloy Health, urged women to stop suffering and compromising. | Pair a clinician voice with a named patient group and a specific need. |
| GLP-1 and metabolic health | A panel moderated by Leana Wen of The Washington Post, with leaders from WeightWatchers, Hims & Hers and Barizali Longevity, covered GLP-1 medications, biomarkers and menopause. | Bring biomarker or outcome data a moderator can probe on stage. |
| Responsible AI in mental health | Spring Health CEO April Koh led a discussion on responsible AI and introduced VERA-MH, which Fierce Healthcare covered in its HLTH25 recap. | Announce a named product with a stated standard instead of a general promise of ethical AI. |
| Women's mental health | Talkiatry spoke about integrated care models and gaps in access, including for Black women. | Tie equity claims to access data a reporter can check. |
| Exhibition floor | Cntrl+ showed an FDA-cleared bladder health solution, Honeybee focused on pelvic care, Incora introduced an earring that tracks ovulation, cycles and sleep, and Veera showed a pump system for feeding challenges. | Regulatory clearance and one clear use case were the easiest stories for press to repeat. |
The 2025 details above come from 5W's own coverage of the show, which has been merged into this page. The common thread across every row is a named company, a named person and one specific claim.
How should a digital health brand pitch HLTH?
A digital health brand should pitch a named clinical outcome, a specific patient population or a signed health system partnership, because a general platform description disappears among similar AI and digital health pitches. A vague claim about improving care gives a reporter nothing to check, while a specific, sourced number gives a reporter or analyst something to publish.
The Digital Health & Health Technology practice page describes how that specificity is built into announcements for events like HLTH.
How should a healthcare brand pitch an HLTH keynote slot?
A healthcare brand should pitch an HLTH keynote slot by naming the exact track its story fits and attaching a named executive to one sourced result. HLTH content is organized around areas such as AI and emerging technology, consumer health, pharma and life sciences, investment and diagnostics, and a pitch aimed at the wrong track is easy for a programming team to set aside.
- Pick the one track that matches the story, and drop the others from the pitch.
- Name the executive who will speak and the result that executive can defend.
- State the result as a number, a patient count or a cost figure tied to a named program.
- Check every claim against documentation before the pitch goes out.
- Wait for a future show if no result exists yet, instead of taking a stage with nothing concrete to say.
What makes an HLTH quote citable?
A citable HLTH quote names a specific outcome, a percentage improvement, a patient count or a cost reduction, linked to a named program or partnership. A statement about a commitment to innovation gives a reporter nothing to attribute or verify.
For example, a health system executive who says a digital triage tool cut emergency department wait times by a stated percentage over a named period gives a reporter a usable lead. Each executive attending HLTH should prepare one number of that kind before taking the stage, and the supporting source should be ready to send the same day.
- The outcome, such as shorter waits or lower cost
- The figure and the period it covers
- The named program, partner or patient group
- A source a reporter can open
How does HLTH's scale shape brand strategy?
HLTH's scale shapes brand strategy because a brand competes for attention with more than 950 sponsors and exhibitors and about 12,250 attendees, including more than 4,400 C-suite executives, according to figures HLTH publishes. A brand that arrives without a specific claim is one exhibitor among hundreds.
The calendar matters too. HLTH's event schedule lists the next show for October 17 to 20, 2027, so an announcement made in November 2026 should be written to stay useful for about a year, with a dated source and a named spokesperson.
How does HLTH coverage help AI search visibility?
Named, dated coverage of an HLTH announcement in health tech and digital health outlets becomes retrieval data for AI engines, which pull from that coverage when asked which company leads a clinical or technology category. A brand that exhibits without securing named press coverage leaves no citation trail after the show ends.
A brand with an executive quoted by name in dated coverage stays retrievable for months. The Generative Engine Optimization practice page explains how announcements are tracked for AI citations, and the State of AI Citations 2026 research shows which sources AI engines cite.
Frequently asked questions
When is HLTH USA 2026?
HLTH USA 2026 runs November 15 to 18, 2026, Sunday through Wednesday, at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas.
Who attends HLTH?
HLTH draws payers, providers, investors, policymakers, startups and health tech leaders, with published figures of about 12,250 attendees and more than 4,400 C-suite executives.
What did HLTH 2025 focus on?
HLTH 2025 focused on personalization, including longevity, women's health, GLP-1 medications, menopause care and responsible AI in mental health.
How should a health tech brand prepare for HLTH?
A health tech brand should choose one track, name one executive and attach one sourced result to that executive before pitching press or programming teams.
Why does named coverage matter after the show?
Named, dated coverage stays retrievable by AI engines and search, while an unreported exhibit leaves no record to cite.
