Health IT from the Investor’s Chair 6/24/24

HLTH Europe 2024 Edition – Oops, I Did It Again!

When I learned that HLTH was launching in Europe, I was intrigued. So much of the HLTH vibe seemed particularly US-centric (seven-figure paychecks to hospital and payer employees being, after all, a strictly US phenomenon). But shortly after your humble Investor’s Chair relocated from Northern California to Barcelona, I realized that I simply had to attend and report back. Suffice to say, it did not disappoint.

Having reported on all but the most recent HLTH events (three in Vegas, one in Boston), I found its Amsterdam incarnation remarkably similar to the others. HLTH and its creators’ prior conferences, ShopTalk and Money20/20, remain formulaic. The formula appears to work just as well in Europe. It was busy. There was a wide range of content (mostly panels, possibly to allow participants an audience, thus driving attendance) on the mostly predictable subjects (ChatGPT, investing, health equity, genomics, chronic illness, etc.) running across five concurrent stages.

Needless to say, there were exhibitors (which are often the point of a conference), but it was fairly small scale, much like the first HLTH. In fact, I was told that attendance was roughly the same as HLTH’s inaugural session in 2018.

One thing I noticed was multiple nation-specific pavilions, sort of like a World’s Fair for digital health. To be fair, HIMSS and other HLTHs have these, but given the size, they stood out better here. In addition to the photographed Israel and Spain, I observed UK, Australia, Holland (of course), and quite a few more.

But the thing that makes HLTH the useful and fun event it works hard to be is not educating, and certainly not selling products (two aspects that I’d argue are secondary goals at best), but convening. That’s where the UI/UX that is inherent in the HLTH DNA shines clear. Inside and outside the exhibit hall were countless places to pull up a spot for a meeting or a chat. The VCs I spoke with all seemed to have remarkably full dance cards, meeting with either other investors or early-stage companies that are seeking capital (my sense is more of the former than the later though, and the event definitely trended towards earlier stage companies).

The HLTH app was mostly well designed and allowed users to search for, and even better, extend invitations to other attendees for networking chats. While I would have strongly preferred a document-based attendee list as well  since scrolling through an app gets old, I gather that privilege was reserved for sponsors, not mere attendees. After each meeting, the app allowed you to rate the person, fortunately only for your own use, and export a list for later follow-up, an extremely helpful feature.

As with the other HLTH events’ user experience, in addition to all the seating you could want (just try finding that at HIMSS or JPMorgan), there always seemed to be food, drinks, and espresso drinks (drip is so American) readily at hand and usually sponsored. As I guess is becoming standard for HLTH, there was even a place for haircuts on the floor (I still get what’s left of mine trimmed before attending, but maybe next year…). And, as at previous HLTH’s, a place for new headshots – perhaps that is what drives the haircuts?

One attendee I met with who works for an NGO likened it to “a festival atmosphere”, and I think that’s spot-on with the event’s goals. It’s a place where people can go and have a really good time hanging out with like-minded folks with similar interests.

Do I need rock music blaring in the background? Not really, but it all seems to add to the vibe (or is it ViVE?) Finally, I’m reminded of what Mr. HIStalk told me when I first began writing this column back in 2009 – I should aim to entertain and inform. HLTH does both (and hopefully, so do I).

Ben Rooks has spent over 30 years attending HIMSS, HLTH, JPMorgan and Health Evolution while covering and then advising the health care IT sector as an equity analyst, investment banker, and strategic advisor. In 2009 he formed ST Advisors to help companies buy, sell, or grow. He loves comments and questions, as well as food, wine, and musical theatre.