HLTH 2025: Health tech conference continues to grow

The HLTH conference has gained a reputation as a showcase for healthcare technology, with a bit of the flair and flavor of Las Vegas.

HLTH returns to Sin City again this year, with the four-day conference beginning Sunday. The conference is going to place a heavy spotlight on artificial intelligence in health care, and the event will feature hundreds of conversations on digital health, business, consumer products and federal policy.

More than 12,000 people are expected to attend the conference this year, says Rich Scarfo, president of HLTH.

• Read more: HLTH 2025 Preview: AI, federal policy, and health access

Beyond the numbers, though, HLTH is drawing key leaders across the healthcare industry. More than 2,700 chief executive officers in the healthcare industry will be attending the event at the Venetian Expo Center. About 37% of HLTH’s audience comes from the C-suite, Scarfo says.

“It's great to have an event that is stable, that's growing, and that is very important to us. It's more important to have the right people there,” he says.

(See part of our conversation in this video. The story continues below.)

HLTH is also bringing key health players in the federal government. The conference comes as the partial shutdown of the federal government continues, stretching beyond two weeks with no end in sight.

“It's an interesting time right now, and events like ours, because we bring together key leaders from, the payer, provider, investment, employer, health, tech and government sectors,” Scarfo tells Chief Healthcare Executive®. “It's a really perfect platform to discuss both the challenges that we're going through and a lot of the opportunity.”

“We tend to do okay in periods like this. We're actually coming back with a larger event in terms of sponsors and attendees and speakers. So, that is something that we're really happy about,” he said.

HLTH has registered about 1,000 sponsors, which is an increase of about 15% over last year, Scarfo says.

Even with some healthcare organizations trimming their budgets, Scarfo says he’s encouraged by the strong attendance this year.

“We have heard across the board from companies that budgets are cut, and they can't do what they did last year, or they're sending less people, and that's okay. Because you can't just depend on people coming back,” Scarfo says.

But HLTH has developed more partnerships and is bringing in new delegates. HTLH is bringing more startup companies, and the show’s start-up pavilion is sold out.

The conference’s AI space and its digital hub pavilion are also both sold out, Scarfo says.

“All of these areas that are really ones that are heavily dependent on the newest and most innovative technologies, which startups deliver a lot of that, are doing very well this year,” he says.

The event will also feature about 600 speakers, including the main stage and on other stages spaced around the showroom floor.

The bigger names include Mark Cuban, the entrepreneur and owner of Cost Plus Drugs, an online pharmacy selling prescriptions at a discount. Cuban is a familiar face from his years on “Shark Tank” and as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks (he is no longer the principal owner but he still retains a partial stake in the NBA team.)

Rob Lowe, the seemingly ageless actor and longtime advocate for cancer research, will be speaking at the conference.

HLTH has routinely welcomed household names to the conference, with last year’s event featuring Halle Berry and Lenny Kravitz. But Scarfo said it’s not about simply bringing some star power to the event.

“We really vet them very carefully to make sure that they have an alignment with a key topic that's really important, and will add some value to a discussion with the audience. So, there's a purpose behind it,” he says.

• Read more: HLTH is drawing more startup companies

Editor’s note: Chief Healthcare Executive will be reporting from the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas. Look for our coverage throughout the event.