Lead the conversation 


Why get involved?

As health and care leaders, you are invited to help shape the sessions that you would like to see and be a part of.

We want to ensure that we discuss the areas of work that are important to you, showcase the examples of great work you and others are doing, and have the debates you think should be happening right now with the speakers you want to hear from. This is a great opportunity to showcase an innovative programme or inspiring experts and inspire and equip your peers for their day-to-day work.

Session

Lead the conversation


Why get involved

As health and care leaders, you are invited to help shape the sessions that you would like to see and be a part of.

We want to ensure that we discuss the areas of work that are important to you, showcase the examples of great work you and others are doing, and have the debates you think should be happening right now with the speakers you want to hear from. This is a great opportunity to showcase an innovative programme or inspiring experts and inspire and equip your peers for their day-to-day work.

There are three routes to be involved in our open call

 

Policy discussions

You can submit a proposal to run a session focused on broad policy topics appealing to a wide group of delegates.

These sessions take place in large breakout rooms for around 200-300 delegates.

Guidance (opens in a new tab)
Submit (opens in a new tab)

 

Good practice sharing

You can submit a proposal to run a session focusing on specific examples of good practice, featuring practical and actionable insights.

These sessions take place in learning theatres throughout the Exhibition Hall, each holding c. 130 delegates.

Guidance (opens in a new tab)
Submit (opens in a new tab)

 

Main stages

You can submit ideas for what you’d like to see on our Festival of Ideas, taking place across our two main stages

Our Festival of Ideas sessions will be built around uncomfortable questions, unexpected voices, genuine disagreement, and thinking that lands beyond the NHS.
 

Guidance (opens in a new tab)
Submit (opens in a new tab)

 

Please note:

  • This call for submissions is not intended for commercial organisations or organisations with a large turnover*. We have a range of sponsored packages available if you are interested in delivering a session at NHS Health and Care Expo 2027. Please contact supporters@thenhsalliance.org for more details. 
  • We are looking for tangible examples of real people improving the NHS and wider health sector. Feel free to use AI software to refine your application, but bear in mind that if your submission appears to be entirely written by AI, it will count against your submission during the review process. AI is a tool and should not be used to replace careful session planning.
  • The NHS Health and Care Expo team hold final editorial control on all sessions, including the ability to add or request changes to speakers.

*The NHS Health and Care Expo team classifies large turnover as over £50 million for charities, and over £10 million for social enterprises. This call for submissions is not intended for companies; any submissions from commercials will be redirected to the NHS Alliance’s Partnerships and Sponsorship colleagues to discuss sponsored opportunities to deliver content.

 

Examples of successful submissions from 2026

 

Below are examples of successful submissions to the 2026 open call, shared as they were submitted. Use them as a guide to the level of detail and clarity we are looking for.

You can also email the team at sessions@thenhsalliance.org with any queries.

View examples (opens in a new tab)

Timelines and key deadlines

The dates to remember (all three routes)

15 Jan 2027, 5pm Submissions close. Late submissions will not be reviewed.
26 Feb 2027 You’ll receive a decision and feedback on your session or idea.
26 Mar 2027 Policy discussion and good practice sessions must be finalised, with speakers confirmed.

There is no flexibility in the timelines and deadlines for session development. Please only submit a proposal if your team has the capacity to deliver to the timelines outlined.

 

Full timeline

Date What happens
Submit your session
2 Nov 2026 – 15 Jan 2027 Call for submissions is open
15 Jan 2027, 5pm Submissions close
Hear back and build your session
26 Feb 2027 Decision shared with submitters
26 Feb – 26 Mar 2027 Successful submitters develop session plans in full, including confirming and onboarding speakers
Programme launch
Apr 2027 Final review, and sessions made ready for publication
21 Apr 2027 (TBC) NHS Health and Care Expo programme launches, with session details published on the online agenda
Final preparations
May 2027 Session leads finalise plans and brief speakers
11 Jun 2027 Session leads submit their runsheet and any slides to the NHS Health and Care Expo team
Event
16–17 Jun 2027 NHS Health and Care Expo 2027