ICCA's Future of Healthcare Meetings 2026 Heads to Athens this September

Athens will host ICCA’s The Future of Healthcare Meetings 2026 from 20–22 September, bringing together healthcare associations, destinations, venues, PCOs and other stakeholders for two days of discussion around the next generation of medical meetings.

Taking place under the theme “Shaping the Next Era of Healthcare Meetings”, the event will examine how scientific meetings can respond to rapid developments in medicine and technology while becoming more inclusive, patient-centred, collaborative and evidence-based.

The programme combines keynote presentations, expert discussions, interactive workshops and networking, with a strong emphasis on practical approaches that delegates can take back to their own organisations. ICCA says the programme will address emerging trends including hybrid participation, digital integration, sustainability, compliance and measurable impact, alongside new approaches to scientific exchange and industry partnerships. The full programme carries 7.5 ICCASkills certification credits.

Looking towards 2030

The main programme opens on 21 September with “Healthcare Meetings in 2030: Expectations, Fears & Innovations”, an interactive session designed to get delegates thinking about how meetings may evolve and what stakeholders expect from them.

An opening keynote will then take a different perspective on inclusion. Former professional basketball player and motivational speaker Dimitris Pananikolaou, together with autism awareness motivator Aria Papanikolaou, will explore autism through a strengths-based lens, challenging healthcare leaders to consider how meetings can better reflect and empower neurodiverse perspectives.

AI, MedTech and the scientific ecosystem

The programme then turns to one of the most consequential developments facing healthcare associations: the integration of AI, digital health and MedTech into their scientific and educational missions.

The session “Leading with Science: How Medical Societies Can Build Credible AI and MedTech Ecosystems” will use the experience of ECTRIMS as a case study, examining governance, scientific credibility, expert communities and responsible partnerships.

The discussion will also extend beyond the association itself. ICCA wants to explore how links between medical societies, universities, hospitals, start-ups, investors, innovation clusters and public authorities can turn congresses into platforms for scientific innovation, economic development and longer-term destination value.

Putting patients at the centre

Patient engagement receives a substantial part of the first afternoon through “Patient-Centricity in Healthcare Meetings: From Aspiration to Action”.

Combining a panel discussion, case studies and an interactive workshop, the session will look at how patients and patient organisations can become genuine partners in the design of international association meetings. Participants will work through stakeholder perspectives and practical scenarios, with the aim of developing more inclusive and meaningful approaches to meeting design.

The discussion brings together representatives from the European Medicines Agency, World Duchenne Organization, Greek Patients Association, International Pharmaceutical Congress Advisory Association, European Cystic Fibrosis Society and World Federation of Hemophilia.

From sponsorship to partnership

The afternoon closes with a question that will resonate across the healthcare meetings ecosystem: can traditional sponsorship evolve into genuine partnership?

The interactive panel and workshop will examine the opportunities — and the limitations — involved in moving beyond transactional sponsorship. Compliance, governance and independence will be considered alongside trust, scientific integrity and shared value.

Moderated by Thomas Reiser of GainingEdge, the discussion features representatives from International EB Marketing, IAPCO/AFEA, SIOG, ISMRM and IPCAA.
 

What does the research tell us?

The second day shifts the discussion towards evidence. “How to Plan Better Healthcare Meetings: What the Research Tells Us” will introduce ICCA’s new Science for Better Healthcare Meetings research and framework.

Drawing on more than 2,000 articles, the research examines what is currently known about meeting effectiveness, identifies gaps in the evidence and considers how those findings can support more informed planning across the healthcare meetings ecosystem.

The session will combine a presentation of the research with a panel bringing together perspectives from associations, destinations and venues, including the International Council of Nurses, Montreux-Vevey Business Events, the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and ESSKA.

Beyond price: creating shared value

The closing substantive session, “Beyond Price: Creating Shared Value in Healthcare Meetings”, brings the different sides of the ecosystem together once more.

Held in partnership with IBTM World, the session will explore how associations, PCOs, venues and destinations can move beyond conventional buyer-supplier relationships towards strategic partnerships that balance financial sustainability with scientific, societal and destination impact.

The panel includes representatives from The Lab, Rotterdam Partners, ExCeL London, EASL, IUHPE and Congrex Switzerland, offering perspectives from across the meetings value chain.
 

Megaron Athens International Conference Centre © Vangelis Bozas

Athens beyond the conference room

The event also has a substantial social and networking dimension. On 20 September, association executives attending the meeting can take part in an exclusive Association Community Gathering, followed by The Athenian Quest, a series of interactive city experiences combining Greek culture, discovery and networking.

The official Welcome Reception will take place that evening at the open-air Atrium of the Muses at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre. On 21 September, delegates will move to CityZen Athens for the Dinner Reception, offering panoramic views of the Acropolis alongside dinner and networking.

With its combination of scientific evidence, patient engagement, technology, inclusion, compliance and partnership-building, The Future of Healthcare Meetings 2026 is positioned less as a forecast of what medical congresses might become and more as a discussion about the choices the sector can make now to shape them.
 

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