The drug, medical device, and life sciences markets are projected to reach a combined $2.6 trillion by 2030, which is good news for the future of the demand for healthcare events, according to the “2026 PCMA Healthcare & Life Sciences: The Pulse of Global Events” sector report. But a larger market doesn’t mean that bigger meetings will necessarily follow. Tighter budgets, the changing needs of healthcare practitioners and the increasing competition for their attention are moving healthcare events toward “fewer, smaller, higher-quality meetings with clearer ROI,” the report said. Based on the report’s research and recommendations, here’s what that shift could mean for associations, corporate planners, and destinations.

For Associations, More Specialty Meetings

Large-scale, lecture-heavy congress models are losing effectiveness as clinician engagement with pharmaceutical companies drops and sponsors scrutinize ROI, the report said. Meanwhile, clinicians’ attention is increasingly spread across congresses offering deeper clinical relevance, according to the report. One example of a changing model: In addition to its flagship multi-tumor congress, the 50,000-plus-member European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in 2023 held meetings in seven cities built around specific tumor types, therapies, and technology, with some events drawing as few as 400 people. ESMO’s specialty meetings offer deeper disease-specific education, stronger expert communities, and more targeted discussion of treatments and patient subgroups.

For Corporate Planners, Smaller, Invitation-Only Events

Average marketing budgets have fallen 21 percent at pharmaceutical companies, and clinicians are accepting contact from fewer companies, according to the report. Seven out of 10 pharmaceutical leaders call “doing more with less” their biggest opportunity, suggesting that event budgets could shrink, the report added. The report recommends planners shift money to smaller hands-on, product-linked workshops, advisory boards, roundtables, and other invitation-only formats, where planners can choose who to invite and track results. Also: Keep in-person sessions focused on high-value interaction and add hybrid layers to extend impact.

For Destinations, Marketing Local Expertise

Rather than competing for association and corporate events on size, infrastructure, or general claims of “world-class facilities,” destinations and venues should position themselves around healthcare sector strengths, the report said, including local life sciences clusters, research institutions, and hospital networks. Healthcare events increasingly convene multiple stakeholders, so destinations should build partnerships with key institutions and communities, including hospitals, universities, and associations to position themselves as part of an ecosystem, not just hosts, the report said.

Patient Focused

CancerCon, organized annually by the nonprofit Stupid Cancer, is designed for adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer rather than for clinicians and researchers. More than 300 cancer survivors, their caregivers, and others gathered at the 2026 event, held last spring in Seattle, for workshops on topics including mental health, financial hardship, career disruption, isolation, and other challenges. Healthcare practitioners were part of the CancerCon 2026 mix, too — the event included a breakout track dedicated to healthcare and nonprofit professionals and an Education Gallery, where they presented posters. Local resources made a difference in organizers’ choice of Seattle as host, according to a Stupid Cancer press release, which cited the city’s leadership in healthcare and its active local cancer survivor community.

Barbara Palmer is Convene’s deputy editor.

“2026 PCMA Healthcare & Life Sciences: The Pulse of Global Events,” sponsored by Experience Columbus, is the second of four market-sector reports to be published by PCMA Insights in collaboration with MCI. The reports which include comprehensive market data, a full analysis of sector events, and recommended strategies plotted to specific sectors and business roles.