I hear a version of this every year: "I spend most of my time in sessions and only get to the exhibit hall for a few minutes." I understand how it happens. The IMSH education program is exceptional, and sessions compete for time aggressively. But, I want to make a direct case for treating the exhibit hall as a scheduled priority, not an afterthought.
IMSH 2026 had more than 130 exhibiting companies. Those companies represent the full landscape of what is available in healthcare simulation: high-fidelity patient simulators, task trainers, manikin accessories, audiovisual and debriefing systems, extended reality platforms, consumables, standardized patient resources, and technology solutions at every price point and for every program size and specialty.
You cannot evaluate simulation equipment through a catalog or a vendor's website. You need to put your hands on it. You need to see how it responds, how it fails, how it compares to what you currently use, and how it would fit into your specific context. You need to talk to a company representative who knows the product deeply — way past a marketing overview — and have a real conversation about implementation, support, and limitations.
The exhibit hall is also where you see what is coming.
Companies use IMSH to launch new products, demonstrate prototypes, and signal where the technology is heading. If you want to make informed purchasing decisions and informed program planning decisions over the next one to three years, the exhibit hall is where you start.
A practical suggestion: before IMSH, review the exhibitor list and identify five to eight companies you specifically want to visit. Some should be vendors you already work with because that relationship is always worth maintaining and building more in person. Others should be companies offering solutions to problems your program is actively trying to solve.
Come with specific questions, not general curiosity. It will sharpen your experience!
The IMSH 2027 exhibitor list is off to an amazing start and is available on IMSH2027.org under the “Industry & Expo Hall” tab. We will continue to add on to it as we approach the conference.
For sponsorship and exhibiting inquiries, email me @ofleenor@ssih.org. And, attendees, For attendee information, keep up with everything new, exciting, and fresh for IMSH 2027 at IMSH2027.org and through updates from SSH!
Sincerely,
Olivia Fleenor
SSH Director of Industry Relations