Innovation Intensive Dec 3-4, 2026
NESHCo presents 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, a practical, collaborative and forward-looking event where attendees won't just hear about trends, they'll leave with ideas they can implement immediately. Innovation Intensive is positioned for 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 of organizational transformation.
Local accommodations are provided below for your convenience. Neither hotel is offering a special NESHCo rate, so choose the amenities that best suit your stay in Hartford.
Call for Speakers
Our ideal speaker slate includes directors, vice presidents, chief communications officers, marketing leaders, digital strategy leaders, and innovative vendor partners—elevating the prestige for speakers and attendees.
We are seeking presenters who drive innovation, influence organizational strategy, and deliver measurable results. If you’ve led transformational change, implemented emerging technologies, or re-imagined how your organization communicates, your peers want to hear and learn from you.
The ultimate session delivers a practical roadmap others can easily adapt and implement.
Submit your proposal HERE.
Looking for more details before crafting your submission? Download the "Call For Speakers" below.
Partner With Us: Innovation Intensive Sponsorship Opportunities
The Innovation Intensive Sponsorship Prospectus is now available for organizations looking to make high-value connections, extend their reach, and play a meaningful role in shaping the conversation.
Explore opportunities to become a partner at the Innovation Intensive through co-created educational sessions, Innovation Exchange access and the event’s highest level of visibility—with options designed to create meaningful engagement with New England healthcare communications leaders.
The Sponsorship Prospectus is available for download in the section below. Take a look at the opportunities and find the level of partnership that aligns with your organization’s goals.
Have questions or want to explore a customized opportunity? We’d love to talk with you about how your organization can help shape the Innovation Intensive—and make valuable connections along the way.
Early Bird Registration is Open
Join us for two days of fresh ideas, meaningful education and connections with New England’s healthcare communications leaders.
Early-bird rates won’t last:
- NESHCo members: $350 → $450 mid-October
- Non-members: $450 → $550 mid-October
Register now to lock in the lower rate and be part of a conversation designed to challenge thinking, spark new ideas and strengthen your professional network.
Register now HERE.
Need support requesting approval to attend Innovation Intensive?
Conference budgets are tight, so demonstrating value matters. Sometimes the greatest value you can bring back is a fresh perspective.
Download “Make Your Case to Attend” below to help build your case.
Building a Strategic Content Marketing Operation
Date: October 22, 2026
Time: 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Registration Fee: $65.00 (includes lunch)
Location: UMass Memorial Health Worcester Business Center: 67 Millbrook Street, Worcester, Third Building
In this practical session, attendees will learn how to build a more intentional content marketing operation within the realities of a hospital or health system, including competing stakeholder priorities, decentralized content creation, limited resources, and the steady stream of requests that aren’t going away.
Overview
Healthcare marketers often find themselves in the position of “order taker” when they’d rather be seen as strategic partners. One day, a physician asks, “Why aren’t we on TikTok?” Another, a service line leader needs a brochure. Then comes a request for a video or a new website page.
The result is a marketing team that’s constantly producing — with plenty of content to show for it — but often without a clear connection between all that activity and the organization’s larger marketing goals.
How do you break the cycle?
A documented content marketing strategy, supported by the right governance and operational frameworks, can give healthcare marketing teams a better way to make decisions about what gets created, why it matters and where resources should go.
Attendees will Learn
- Build a content marketing strategy that connects organizational priorities with audience needs and marketing goals.
- Create a framework for evaluating and prioritizing content requests.
- Develop a repeatable workflow for repurposing content across channels.
- Use measurement to have more strategic conversations with internal stakeholders.
- Shift the marketing team’s role from fulfilling requests to orchestrating content experience across the organization.
Speaker & Panel
Presented by Michelle Jackson, Chief Strategy Officer at BackPocket Agency, followed by a panel of content marketing leaders.
Michelle Jackson is the Chief Strategy Officer at BackPocket Agency, a content marketing agency that serves healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and associations. She brings 20+ years of experience in content marketing and was named Content Marketer of the Year in 2025 by the Women in Content and Marketing Awards. She also led the team behind the Content Marketing Institute’s 2023 Best Content Marketing Program in Healthcare.
Panelists:
- John Looney, Vice President Marketing and Communications, UMass Memorial Health
- Ari Becker, Manager of Social Media, UMass Memorial Health
- Brad Muncs, CEO, Symetris
- Lauren Becker, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, Merrimack Health
Thank you Lunch & Learn sponsors.
Content expertise. Healthcare knowledge.
Good bedside manner. We’ve got what it takes to be your dream team.
We are transforming the way care is delivered. The clinical partner of UMass Chan Medical School.