Where healthcare professionals share design and architecture ideas
1998 was the first year Jenabeth Ferguson, symposium director for Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo (HFSE), became aware of the expo, formerly Symposium on Healthcare Design. “I was early in my career producing events, so I wasn’t always focused on the purpose of each event, but the Symposium was different,” she says. “As the daughter of an engineer, I certainly could appreciate the impact of design on the experiences in spaces.”
A Growing Endeavor
Now in its 36th year, HFSE experienced record double-digit attendance growth, garnering more than 100 healthcare exhibitors in Charlotte Convention Center’s expo hall in North Carolina, showcasing their products to decision-makers in healthcare facilities, architecture and design firms. “I think it is safe to say that events are really coming back in the post-pandemic world,” Ferguson says.
HFSE has since introduced new programs, such as the Emerging Leaders Scholarship Program, into the symposium. The scholarship program gave recognition to individuals with less than 10 non-consecutive years of experience in healthcare design and construction, including research and/or education.
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Ferguson says it’s something her team has wanted to do for years, as it’s important to bring in new and emerging talent. “We have an incredible advisory board that has been identifying emerging leaders and inviting them as their guests to attend the annual Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo,” she says. “The attendees welcomed these emerging leaders and in fact endorsed many of the leaders to apply.”
Along with new programs at HFSE, there are other long-standing ones that have become a favorite among attendees, such as the raffle and charity HFSE holds every year, where attendees can donate and win prizes.
“What started as a small endeavor has grown to a highlight of the annual event with diverse organizations across the country benefitting from the HFSE community’s generosity,” Ferguson says. “Every year, we have a group of volunteers that source the raffle prizes and take pride in bringing new items. The raffle is by far one of the most popular parts of HFSE and we always love supporting a local charity or, in this year’s case, one connected to our keynote speaker [Ryan Straschnitzki, founder of Straz Strong Foundation].”
Something for Everyone
Ferguson says what attendees love most about HFSE is its variety of offerings. “There is truly something for everyone, whether it’s an inspiring keynote, like this year’s presentation by Ryan Straschnitzki, or the latest innovations for healthcare design, like a smart solution locker from this year’s Symposium Distinction Award winner, Zippsafe, or a facility tour of a local hospital in Charlotte, Atrium Health Union West Campus.” The last of which is fitting, as HFSE looks for host cities with a strong healthcare and design presence.
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“I learn something new every year, especially from our conference program,” Ferguson says. The program tries to offer a broad spectrum of sessions that go beyond discussions about design challenges to larger issues facing healthcare organizations.
“This year we offered a special session where attendees had the opportunity to take part in three 20-minute roundtable discussions led by facilitators from leading healthcare systems and design firms. It was a big draw and attendees really enjoyed it,” she says. “It just reinforced to me that we need to do more events that allow attendees to interact with each other and be part of the conversation.”
