Jarrard Senior Vice President Michael Knecht attended HCIC 2026. These are his key takeaways.
EVENT: Healthcare Interactive Conference 2026
WHERE & WHEN: Orlando | October 25-28, 2026
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Healthcare Interactive Conference – known for being the premier conference for healthcare marketers and digital leaders. Each year, this event gives providers and martech firms an opportunity to convene and share the latest developments in one of the fastest-evolving sectors of our business. Close to 900 attendees were on hand this year to look forward, reflect on the past three decades of successes and recognize the great work of digital leaders in our industry over the past year.
TOP TAKEAWAYS:
- Can’t Tell the Players Without a Scorecard: One of the immediate observations this year, is the continuing rise of new faces and brands in the martech space. Walking through the venue, conference attendees were greeted by many of the venerable brands in our industry. The big names that serve as the foundation for many of our patient acquisition and engagement strategies include Epic, Healthgrades, and Salesforce, to name a few. But there were also many new start-ups (especially in AI). Hungry, small shops looking to make a name for themselves in a crowded space. They have the hustle, and let’s watch how these potential disruptors compete against – or perhaps collaborate with – the bigger dogs. We should welcome any and all players who bring innovation to our work.
- Activate. Retain. Repeat: Regardless of the platforms utilized, the strategies behind the technology continue to be the “tried and true” for us – understanding what our patients want, meeting them where they live, giving them the quality experience they deserve and keeping them in the fold after we say goodbye. In his keynote presentation, Jake Poore, President and CEO, Integrated Loyalty Systems, reinforced that it can be easy to get swept up in the thrill of the technology, but building trust and keeping the patient experience central to planning through authentic interactions remains key to growth.
- Planning Your Own Moonshot: In her keynote, Pam Landis, SVP, Digital Engagement, Hackensack Meridian Health, shared the lessons learned from the team at NASA around successful launches and what digital leaders should take away for their own “moonshots.” She reminded us that focusing on mission clarity, teamwork, communication and the relentless courage to reach for goals previously deemed unobtainable is what we need today to transform our patients’ digital experience. For communications and change management professionals, these concepts should be familiar and validate why no digital strategy can succeed without an accompanying communications plan executed with skill and precision.
