Your First HCD Conference + Expo Starts Here.
First-time attendees can get Full Conference access for just $899.
(That’s a savings of more than $1,000!)
BEFORE YOU GO
Your time away from projects is worth protecting.
Here’s what your first HCD delivers.
Learn what’s shaping your current work.
More than 110 sessions connect design decisions to safety, operations and clinical outcomes.
See what’s next in person.
Compare products, materials and building systems on the expo floor, side by side.
Meet the people who do this work.
Architects, interior designers, facility leaders and executives who face the same pressures you do.
Earn continuing education credits.
Sessions count toward the certifications you’re already working to maintain.
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Indicated finding new products at HCD
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Consider HCD a
“must attend” show
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Reported that products at HCD are more influential than other options
Who attends HCD?
HEALTHCARE INTERIOR DESIGNERS
HEALTHCARE ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS
FACILITY AND CAPITAL PROJECT LEADERS
HEALTH SYSTEM DECISION MAKERS
This is a focused industry gathering, built entirely around how the built environment influences care delivery. There’s no better place to connect, learn and grow in this profession.
HOW TO PLAN YOUR SESSIONS
The 2026 program tackles the issues on your desk right now.
More than 110 sessions span the full healthcare design ecosystem, with each one tying design to real-world impact.
Behavioral Health as a System-Wide Requirement
Behavioral health is no longer a specialty-unit issue. Learn how care model, staffing, visibility and dignity-supporting design work together across emergency departments, inpatient rooms and outpatient settings.
AI and Technology in Design
AI-supported programming, predictive workflow analysis and command centers are rewriting the building brief. See how teams translate these tools into concrete architecture and engineering decisions, from concept through occupancy.
Resilience and Decarbonization
Explore how to balance emissions goals with reliable power, thermal systems and emergency operations, including on occupied campuses where clinical continuity can’t stop.
Workforce Safety and Recovery
Staff experience is a measurable design outcome. Sessions cover trauma-informed design, respite spaces and safety strategies that affect retention, throughput and time at the bedside.
Prefabrication and Delivery
With trades in high demand, delivery strategy is design strategy. Compare adaptable manufactured systems, standardized rooms and early trade engagement before specifications lock you in.
HOW TO WORK THE EXPO FLOOR
Some decisions can’t be made from a screen.
The expo floor puts products, materials and building systems in front of you, all in one place. Walk the floor to:
Compare innovative products shaping safer, more efficient care environments.
Meet the manufacturers and service providers behind the solutions.
Explore adaptive reuse, technology and building-system approaches side by side.
Bring your active project questions and get real answers from the people who build the products.
It’s product sourcing with context, depth and the full picture in one visit.
Also on the expo floor, the Solutions Theater features short, focused presentations from leading providers.
It’s a practical way to discover products and technologies in context, learn how they perform in real healthcare environments and connect directly with the people behind them.
BEST NETWORKING MOMENTS FOR FIRST-TIMERS
The connections you make here carry well past the show.
HCD brings together a respected community of professionals who plan, design, build and operate healthcare spaces, and the 2026 program gives you more ways than ever to meet them. As a first-timer, networking is built into the experience, not bolted on.
Here’s what’s included:
Opening Night Reception:
Close out the first day of sessions with complimentary drinks and heavy appetizers as the expo hall officially opens for the first time.
Hosted Networking Lunches
Connect with peers over a full plated lunch on select conference days, with structured conversation focused on shared challenges and active projects.
Morning Networking Breakfasts
Start each conference day with a continental breakfast and easy conversation alongside fellow attendees before sessions get underway.
Monday Night Networking Party
Take the evening off-site to Mardi Gras World for complimentary drinks, light fare and one of the most distinctive settings New Orleans has to offer.
🧊 Not sure how to break the ice?
Start with a few thoughtful questions. Ask what session has been most valuable, how they balance design with clinical needs, or what they learned from a recent project. If you’re new to the field, ask an experienced attendee what shaped their career—it’s a great way to start a meaningful conversation.
YOUR FIRST-TIMER DISCOUNT IS WAITING …
Your registration comes with a discount built to make your first year easy to justify.
Full Conference access for just $899, saving you over $1,000!
CLick the button below to be approved to claim your first-timer discount.
Note: Eligibility for the first-time rate will be verified.
PAY IT FORWARD
Know someone who belongs in this room? Send them our way.
A direct referral is one of the most meaningful things you can do for those stepping into the HCD community for the first time.
If you know a designer, architect or facility leader who would benefit from focused education, peer connection and product discovery, point them toward this page or have them email [email protected].
We’ll handle the rest!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) FOR FIRST-TIMERS
What Is HCD Conference and Expo, and Is It Right for Me?
HCD Conference and Expo is the premier annual gathering for professionals who plan, design, build, and operate healthcare environments. It brings together architects, interior designers, facility leaders, and healthcare executives for four focused days of education, product discovery and peer connection.
If your work touches the built healthcare environment, whether you’re specifying finishes for a new hospital wing, leading a capital project, or managing a health system’s facility portfolio, HCD is built for you. Every session, every product on the show floor, and every conversation in the hallways is grounded in the same discipline: designing spaces that support better care.
What's Included with an HCD 2026 Registration?
Registration gives you access to the full HCD experience: educational sessions, the expo hall, networking events and the Solutions Theater.
Specifically, your badge gets you into:
- ⭐️ 110-plus educational sessions covering planning, design, construction, operations, and clinical outcomes
- ⭐️ The expo hall, where hundreds of manufacturers and solution providers display products addressing real healthcare design challenges
- ⭐️ The Solutions Theater, a curated presentation space inside the expo hall
- ⭐️ Networking events, including the opening night reception and the Monday night party at Mardi Gras World
- ⭐️ Continuing education credits (CEUs) earned across eligible sessions
How Does Registration Work, and Is There a First-Timer Discount?
Get started by submitting your information here. If approved you’ll recieve a code for an $899 Full Conference pass.
What Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) Are Available at HCD 2026?
HCD 2026 offers continuing education credits across a wide range of educational sessions throughout the conference.
Sessions are designed to satisfy CEU requirements for practicing architects, interior designers and facility professionals, including credits applicable toward AIA, ASID, IIDA and AAHID credentials. Specific credit types and session-level eligibility are detailed in the conference program. Reviewing the session listing before you arrive lets you plan your schedule around the credits most relevant to your license and current projects. Learn more here.
How Does the Conference Program Work Alongside the Expo Hall?
The conference and expo run concurrently, and together they make up the full HCD experience. Sessions begin earlier in the day on Saturday, Oct. 17, with the expo hall opening that evening at the opening night reception.
From Sunday through Tuesday, you’ll move between educational sessions and the show floor. Most attendees plan their schedule in advance, selecting sessions that map to live projects or professional development goals, then building in time on the floor to source products, visit exhibitors and attend Solutions Theater presentations. The event app is the most practical tool for managing that schedule on-site.
What Is the Opening Night Reception at HCD 2026?
The opening night reception marks the official opening of the expo hall on Saturday, Oct. 17. It’s the first opportunity to walk the floor, meet exhibitors and connect with fellow attendees in a relaxed setting before the full program gets underway.
For first-timers, it’s one of the best ways to get oriented. You’ll see the full scope of the show floor, spot products and companies you want to return to, and start conversations with peers that often continue throughout the week.
What Is the Solutions Theater, and Should I Plan to Attend?
The Solutions Theater is a dedicated presentation space inside the expo hall where manufacturers and solution providers deliver focused, topic-specific sessions on products and approaches relevant to healthcare design challenges.
Presentations are short, practical and tied directly to real problems faced in healthcare planning, design and construction. For first-timers, the Solutions Theater is a useful way to learn about specific products and systems in context, without the pressure of a one-on-one sales conversation. Check the schedule in advance (to be posted soon) to identify presentations that connect to your current projects.
What Is the Monday Night Party, and Where Is It Held?
The Monday night networking event is held at Mardi Gras World, one of New Orleans’ most distinctive venues. It’s an informal gathering for all registered attendees, offering a chance to connect with peers, clients and colleagues outside the structured environment of sessions and the show floor.
For first-timers, it’s worth attending. Some of the most meaningful conversations at HCD happen in unscheduled moments like this one. Come ready to talk about your work and to listen to other practitioners working through the same challenges you are.
What Networking Opportunities Are Available at HCD 2026?
Networking at HCD is built into every part of the program, not limited to a single scheduled event.
Opportunities include:
- ⭐️ The opening night reception, which opens the expo hall on Saturday evening
- ⭐️ The Monday night party at Mardi Gras World, the conference’s primary social event
- ⭐️ The expo hall, where face-to-face conversations with manufacturers, reps and fellow attendees happen throughout the week
- ⭐️ Sessions and keynotes, where the Q&A and hallway conversations afterward are often as valuable as the content itself
- ⭐️ Informal peer exchange throughout the conference, including over meals, in transition between sessions, and through the event app
HCD draws a concentrated group of the right people, architects, designers, facility leaders, owners and executives, in one place at one time. That density is genuinely hard to replicate outside this event.
What Should I Do First as a First-Time Attendee?
Start with the conference program before you arrive.
Review the session lineup, identify two or three sessions that directly connect to your current projects, and note the CEUs attached to each. From there, plan time on the expo floor and mark the Solutions Theater sessions worth attending. Download the event app to manage your schedule on-site.
On the first day, attend the opening night reception to get oriented on the show floor and meet fellow attendees in a low-pressure setting. If you have questions before the event, email [email protected]. The team will help you get the most out of your first HCD.
Take the first step toward claiming your $899 full conference rate.
Join us Oct. 17-20, 2026, in New Orleans for the ultimate healthcare design education, networking, and product-sourcing event!