EHRCON26 is almost here, and we’re looking forward to seeing you in Amsterdam on 21-23 September. Here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know to get the most out of the conference.
The basics
Monday 21 September
- 08:30-13:00: Half-day openEHR Clinical Modelling Workshop (Meervaart Theatre, Amsterdam), offering hands-on archetype and template design training with a FEDIP-endorsed certificate of proficiency.
- From 09:00: openEHR Program Board meetings (Meervaart Theatre. For details, contact your board chair).
- 15:00 – 17:30: openEHR Strategy Meeting (Meervaart Theatre, by invitation only).
- 19:00 – 21:00: Pre-conference mixer. Join us at Arca Bar, opposite Amsterdam’s Central Station, for this lively, informal social event. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces and make new connections. The first drink is free, courtesy of our sponsor vitagroup.
Tuesday 22 – Wednesday 23 September
The main event: EHRCON26
Registration: From 07:30am on Tuesday 22 September. Collect your conference badge and goodie bag, then grab a coffee before joining us in the plenary.
08:30: Programme begins
Venue: Meervaart Theatre, Amsterdam
Full Programme: openehr.org/ehrcon26/programme
Packed two-day programme
What not to miss:
- Day one kicks off with a keynote from Herko Coomans (Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of The Netherlands), and findings from the OECD.
- You’ll also hear from openEHR’s David Ingram, HSE’s Gar MacCriosta and Catsalut’s Dr Xabier Michelena Vegas.
- National-scale perspectives will be presented by Katarina Kralj (Slovenia) and DG Sante’s Konstantin Hyppönen.
- On day two, Aloha McBride of the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs shares her perspective on “How success changes the problem”, whilst WHO’s Chinemerem Eyetan talks about a standards-based reference architecture for Digital Public Infrastructure for health.
- And don’t miss the lively panel discussions on policy, interoperability, and next-gen EHRs.
What else?
- Beginner-friendly openEHR 101 and openEHR in the Wild streams for anyone new to openEHR.
- Breakout tracks covering EHDS, Agentic AI, Research & Innovation, Modelling, and Affiliates & Marketing.
- An international speaker line-up, with presentations from Nigeria, Canada, Iran, New Zealand, Sardinia, the US, Europe, and Asia.
- The latest developments from openEHR programme boards and the Fellowship Program.
On the show floor
Aside from the opportunity to meet our sponsors and exhibitors, delegates can also visit:
The Brink (sponsored by YellowBrink): a dedicated area for startups, scale-ups, educators and innovators to connect with the openEHR community. Swing by to watch a selection of short presentations, or take part in the ‘Start-Up Challenge’ for the chance to win a community-sponsored award.
Veratech’s Arcade: think you’ve got what it takes to get your name on the leaderboard? Then why not let off some steam and pit your wits – or rather, your reflexes – against the Reaction Tower, a batak-style reflex game where players race to hit illuminated targets at break-neck speed. Or, for the Old Skoolers, Pac Man awaits…
Top tips for getting the most out of EHRCON26
1. Read the programme thoroughly – and decide in advance which sessions you would like to attend. This year, there are up to four streams to choose from, so we recommend using the star icon on the programme to mark your favourites. Please note that this feature is device-specific, so be sure to use the device you’ll be taking to the event. With over 50 presentations and speakers from more than 20 countries across five continents, this is the biggest and most international EHRCON programme yet, so plan ahead. Details: openehr.org/ehrcon26/programme. And if you’re undecided about which sessions to attend, don’t worry – presentations will be recorded, so you can catch up later on anything you miss.
2. Get to know our sponsors – this year, we have an incredible group of sponsors supporting EHRCON26. If you want to meet them, you can visit the exhibitors during coffee breaks and lunchtimes. Not all of our sponsors are exhibiting, so if you’re looking for an introduction, just find a member of the EHRCON team (we’ll be the ones in the white EHRCON26 T-shirts), and we’ll be happy to help. Details: openehr.org/EHRCON26/sponsors
3. Don’t skip the social events – this is where the conference magic happens! As well as our pre-event mixer on the evening of Monday 21 September, we hope you’ll also join us for drinks, a buffet dinner (sponsored by Better) and entertainment (courtesy of Veratech) on the evening of Tuesday 22 September at the conference venue.
4. Don’t miss The Archetypes – the (unofficial) openEHR house band. They’re back, providing the post-dinner entertainment on Tuesday 22 September. Featuring Chab Vegas (CatSalut) on keyboards, Bottleneck Meredith (EY) and Low Down Charlie Lake (Better) on guitar, Chulo Herrero on bass, and Boov the Groove on drums. Fancy joining them on stage? You’re on. Karaoke follows…
How the Conference Works
openEHR conferences are pretty informal, and the perfect place to meet and talk with other community members, clinicians, programmers, data modellers, vendors, entrepreneurs, policy makers, representatives from other SDOs and more, to share ideas (and frustrations!). A few practical notes on format and networking:
- There’s no official conference app or matchmaking platform: Most networking happens organically in the foyer during breaks and lunch, and at the pre-conference mixer on Monday 21 September evening. Delegate and sponsor contact details (for those who ‘opted in’) will be shared post-event.
- Community channel: The openEHR community’s primary communication channel is Discourse. It’s free to join, and used by a large part of the community. discourse.openehr.org.
- Background reading: If you’re new to openEHR, it’s worth familiarising yourself right here on the openEHR website ahead of time. You’ll find all the information you need, including useful links to community resources.
- Where to follow updates: Conference and community announcements appear on the conference website, LinkedIn, and via direct mail.
Practicalities
Hotels: EHRCON26 has an exclusive 10% discount at two local hotels:
- Citiez Hotel, Osdorpplein 372 A, 1068 EV Amsterdam. Quirky and boutique, with free parking, a short walk from the venue. Discount code: MEERVAARTSPEC
- Westcord Fashion Hotel, Hendrikje Stoffelsstraat 1, 1058 GC Amsterdam. Just 3.5km (about ten minutes by tram or bus) from the venue, with its own cocktail bar and wellness suite. Code: MEERVAART2026
Getting there: Meervaart Theatre is easily accessible by public transport, and contactless payment works on Dutch public transport. Routes passing near the Meervaart Theatre:
- Tram: 17 (nearest stop: Meer En Vaart, 2 min walk)
- Bus: 369, 17, 27, 63, N83 (nearest stop: Osdorpplein Oost, 2 min walk)
- Train: SPR (nearest station: Lelyaan — transfer to bus/tram, or 20-minute walk)
- Metro: 50 (nearest station: Lelyaan — transfer to bus/tram, or 20-minute walk)
What to wear: We’re a smart-casual bunch, emphasis on the casual. You’ll be at home in a retro openEHR hoodie or your old Converge & Collide T-shirts. Orange is very on-brand right now!
Questions? Contact events@openehr.org
A word for our sponsors
EHRCON26 is made possible by the support of: YellowBrink, x-tention, Ezovion, Realize-365, freshEHR, Avenue3, Commvita, Veratech, Cadasto and EY.
A special thank you to those keeping us fed and watered throughout:
- Pre-conference drinks: vitagroup
- Coffee breaks: Medblocks, Ocean Health Systems, BloodFlow AI, and NTT DATA
- Lunches: Tieto Caretech and AWS
- Evening meal: Better
With thanks also to Frontiers in Digital Health (official publisher of our scientific papers), Hanze University of Applied Sciences (educational partner), and The Federation for Informatics Professionals (CPD accreditation provider).
Looking forward to seeing you all at EHRCON26: for the sessions, the sponsors, the conversations, and yes, maybe a high score or two along the way.
See you in Amsterdam!
The EHRCON26 Team
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