REAL ESTATE NEWS

GlobeSt.'s Healthcare Real Estate conference will return Dec. 2-3 with a new venue, a more segmented agenda and an awards component designed to recognize the professionals influencing the sector. The event will be held at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, AZ, bringing healthcare real estate owners, investors, operators, developers, brokers and health system executives together as the industry assesses the year ahead.

Registration for the conference is now open.

A More Focused Conference Agenda

The most substantial change to the 2026 program is the addition of dedicated executive breakout tracks. Rather than grouping all healthcare real estate issues into a single set of panels, the conference will divide its late-morning programming among medical office and health system infrastructure, senior housing and post-acute care, and life sciences and healthcare innovation.

That structure reflects a market in which the major healthcare property categories are facing distinct opportunities and constraints. Medical office investors and health systems are weighing how the ongoing migration of care from inpatient facilities to outpatient settings is altering location strategy, facility design and capital planning. The medical office track will examine how those shifts are reshaping health system footprints, as well as how operators can support growth when capital is constrained.

Senior housing and post-acute care discussions will take a different view of the market. Panels will address the demographic surge supporting demand for senior housing, along with the operational and financial pressures that can complicate efforts to turn that demand into profitable growth. Another session will focus on strategies for expanding post-acute portfolios at scale.

The life sciences track will look at the real estate implications of scientific and technological innovation. Topics will include the path from laboratory research to commercial application and the emergence of healthcare innovation hubs where biotech companies, technology providers and real estate owners increasingly intersect.

Recognition At The Luncheon

This year's conference will also feature a Healthcare Influencers networking luncheon that includes recognition for industry leaders. The awards element will give the event a formal opportunity to spotlight professionals whose work and market influence have helped shape healthcare real estate.

The luncheon is scheduled after the breakout sessions and before the afternoon's owners and developers program. That will give attendees an opportunity to compare takeaways from the specialized tracks before the agenda returns to a wider discussion of where the sector is headed.

For example, the afternoon session, "Owners & Developers at the Helm: Navigating the Next Era of Healthcare CRE," will focus on the decisions facing the people responsible for deploying capital, building projects and operating portfolios. It will follow a morning keynote reviewing the past year and offering a forecast for 2027, as well as a state-of-the-industry session.

A New Resort Venue

The conference is moving to the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort for 2026, giving the event a new setting with expanded meeting and networking space. The change is intended to accommodate both formal programming and the relationship-building that has long been central to the gathering.

The schedule will open Dec. 2 with GlobeSt.'s annual healthcare real estate golf tournament, followed by registration and a welcome cocktail reception. On Dec. 3, attendees will move through breakfast, keynote and panel programming, the executive breakouts, the Influencers luncheon and a closing cocktail event.

The Scottsdale location also positions the conference as a year-end meeting point for a national audience. For many attendees, the event has become an opportunity to reconnect with peers, discuss transactions and compare views on the capital markets before the new year begins.

Why The Discussion Matters

The new format comes as healthcare real estate continues to attract attention for its relative stability and the long-term demand drivers behind it. The expansion of outpatient care, an aging population, limited new supply in some markets and investor interest in defensive asset classes have supported activity across medical office, senior housing and other healthcare-related property types.

Medical outpatient buildings, in particular, have remained resilient. JLL reported occupancy of 92.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, while CBRE forecast that medical office rents would reach record levels in 2026.

That backdrop helps explain the conference's draw among senior decision-makers. Conference materials show that 20 of the 50 largest healthcare owners attended in 2025, along with representatives of six health systems and teams from major brokerage firms.

By adding sector-specific breakouts, a new awards luncheon and a Scottsdale venue, GlobeSt. Healthcare is putting more emphasis on the specialized questions now confronting the industry. The result is an agenda built not only around the market's broad outlook, but also around the differing strategies required to succeed across its most active property sectors.

Source: GlobeSt/ALM