HIMSS 2026 Day 1: The biggest stage in health IT

Day one at HIMSS 2026 didn't disappoint. The exhibit floor opened at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas and the energy was immediate. Our booth stayed busy all day, we reconnected with customers, met new prospects, and gave away plenty of our signature flashing sunglasses. A strong start to one of the biggest shows in healthcare.

What is HIMSS 2026?

HIMSS 2026 is the world's largest healthcare IT conference, running March 9–12 at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas. Co-organized by HIMSS, it brings together over 25,000 healthcare pioneers from 88 countries, including CIOs, CTOs, clinicians, policymakers, investors, and innovators, all under one roof to explore the technologies reshaping how care is delivered.

Highlights of Day 1:

• Highlight #1: Two Paubox customers stopped by the booth to share their experiences on camera. Quon Louey of Telehealthdocs Medical Group and Sabrina Peres of Urology Nevada both recorded video testimonials about why they love Paubox. Hearing directly from customers on the floor never gets old.
• Highlight #2: The flashing sunglasses were a hit again. Some things just work.
• Highlight #3: The vibe on the floor was electric. HIMSS is a different scale entirely, and day one made that clear.

Day 1 Takeaways:

• AI is still the main event. From the AI Pavilion to session after session on clinical intelligence, AI dominated the conversation. But the tone has shifted from excitement to accountability. 
• The dedicated Cybersecurity Command Center was packed. Email-based threats, phishing, and ransomware remain the top concerns for health IT leaders, and the urgency was there.
• Interoperability is still unfinished business. The FHIR-focused sessions and the new Interop+Smart Experience pavilion signal that connecting systems remains one of healthcare's most stubborn and consequential challenges.
• HIMSS draws the people who make the big decisions. The conversations at the booth reflected that.

Related: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide

Stay Tuned: Join us for more updates from HIMSS 2026 tomorrow, and if you're attending, stop by the Paubox booth  #660 and say hello.