HCD Healthcare Design Expo & Conference 2026

HCD Conference + Expo is Emerald X's conference and trade show for healthcare design professionals: architects, interior designers, engineers, facility managers and health-system leaders. It pairs continuing-education sessions with an expo hall of products for healthcare environments.

HCD Healthcare Design Expo & Conference 2026

HCD Healthcare Design Expo & Conference runs October 17–20, 2026 at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans.

What it is

The organizer bills HCD Conference + Expo as "the conference and trade show for healthcare design professionals." It covers healthcare planning, design and construction. The expected audience includes architects, interior designers, engineers, facility managers, medical planners, contractors, nurses, researchers and health-system executives. Emerald X runs the show, which is tied to Healthcare Design magazine.

In 2026 the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) 29th World Congress is held alongside HCD. The organizer says this is the first time the two communities have shared a venue. The Association of Medical Facility Professionals hosts the Congress, Emerald X produces it, and it has its own IFHE Pavilion on the expo floor.

How the days and passes work

• Saturday, October 17: pre-conference workshops and facility tours (sold separately), plus an NIHD reception. The expo hall opens Sunday.
• Expo hall hours: Sunday, October 18, 4:30–7 p.m.; Monday, October 19, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; Tuesday, October 20, 9:45 a.m.–1 p.m.
• A conference pass is required for education sessions, and HCD's program lists 110+ sessions.
• An IFHE-only pass includes the IFHE sessions, HCD keynotes and the expo hall, but not HCD conference sessions. A combined IFHE and HCD pass covers both programs.

Badge pickup is in The Great Hall pre-function area.

Continuing education

Facility tours, pre-conference workshops, keynotes and breakout sessions earn CE credit. You must be a paid conference registrant, attend the full session and have your badge scanned at the start.

• AIA credits are reported automatically for architects who gave their member number.
• Interior designers record IDCEC attendance with a QR code for each session.
• EDAC-certified attendees submit their own credits.
• The Clinical Perspectives Track and one pre-conference workshop were submitted to the Montana Nurses Association for nursing contact hours.