American Heart Association - AHA Scientific Sessions

About this event

American Heart Association (AHA) — Scientific Sessions (AHA Scientific Sessions)

Event basics (from official source)

• Official event name: Scientific Sessions
• Dates: November 6–9, 2026
• Venue: McCormick Place Convention Center
• City/State: Chicago, Illinois
• Country: United States
• Event type (practical classification): Major global cardiovascular medicine conference; scientific program + clinical education + industry and academic engagement

1) Who attends (BUYERS / ATTENDEES)

Scientific Sessions is not a “single-industry trade show” in the traditional sense. It is the American Heart Association’s flagship cardiovascular meeting, so the attendee ecosystem is multi-layered: clinical specialists, researchers, guideline and policy stakeholders, hospital systems, payers in cardiometabolic care, and life-science/medical-technology organizations that want to translate science into products, care pathways, and evidence.

Best-fit buyer/decision-maker groups (what we target):

• Hospital and health system decision-makers Includes cardiology service line leaders, medical directors, program directors for cardiovascular outcomes, and clinical operations leaders who evaluate new diagnostics, therapeutics, workflow tools, and care models.
• Cardiology / cardiovascular care leadership Includes Chief/Chair of Cardiology, interventional cardiology leaders, electrophysiology leadership, heart failure and transplant program leaders, and stroke/cerebrovascular care leadership (because cardiovascular care overlaps extensively).
• Clinical research and translational science leadership Includes clinical trial operations leaders, research program directors, principal investigators’ institutional administrators, and translational medicine leaders tied to major studies and evidence generation.
• Regulatory, medical affairs, and clinical evidence functions (industry buyers) Includes Medical Affairs leadership, Clinical Evidence/Health Economics & Outcomes Research teams, Clinical Development leadership, and Real-World Evidence (RWE) program managers.
• Public health, prevention, and guidelines stakeholders Includes prevention program leaders, epidemiology and outcomes research leaders, and guideline implementation/education stakeholders in health systems and academic centers.
• Education and continuing medical education (CME) decision-makers Includes CME/Faculty development leadership in academic medicine, medical education directors, and curriculum planners.

Bottom line for buyer-fit: for our purposes, the “buyers” are typically the people shaping adoption, evidence strategy, guideline-aligned care pathways, clinical trial engagement, and medical education—plus industry teams that sponsor, exhibit, or run symposia tied to cardiovascular care.

2) Where the show is happening + attendee geographic origin

Where: McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States.

Expected geographic origin pattern: Because this conference is the AHA’s year’s major cardiovascular meeting, attendee origin typically spans:

• United States nationwide (dominant): major representation from regional medical centers, academic institutions, and health systems across the U.S.
• International participation (material): cardiology and cardiovascular science professionals, global researchers, and international industry teams frequently attend AHA’s flagship cardiovascular meeting because it is a top-tier venue for late-breaking science and evidence communication.
• Local/regional concentration: Chicago and Midwestern U.S. health systems and academic centers are expected to be strongly represented due to proximity and travel convenience.

Geographic targeting we recommend: United States first (national coverage), then strengthen secondary targeting for international roles that align to clinical evidence, medical affairs, translational research, and global health outcomes.

3) Audience reach (Local / National / Global)

Reach type: Global with strong U.S. national concentration.

• National reach (U.S.): The conference draws broad U.S. cardiology leadership across academic medicine, hospitals, and professional communities.
• Global reach: Cardiovascular science is international by nature; Scientific Sessions is widely recognized in the global cardiovascular ecosystem.
• Local reach (Chicago/Midwest): Local health systems and institutions benefit from easier travel and deeper local participation.

How this affects attendee-list monetization: the event is ideal for building a high-quality buyer database across medicine, research, clinical operations, and industry medical evidence functions, not only for local demand.

4) Sample buyer company names (BUYERS ONLY) + Websites

Below are buyer-style targets: organizations that commonly align with cardiovascular care, clinical research, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, digital health, and outcomes/evidence strategies. Note: We recommend validating the exact exhibitor/sponsor map for the specific year once available, because company participation can vary by edition.

Top 5 “send first” buyer samples (for fast outreach sequencing): Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Pfizer, IQVIA, GE HealthCare.

5) Job profiles, industries & event type

Best job profiles to target

• Cardiovascular medical leadership: Chief/Chair of Cardiology, Medical Director (Cardiology/Heart Failure/EP)
• Clinical operations & program leadership: Director of Cardiovascular Services, Clinical Program Director, Clinical Operations Director
• Medical affairs & clinical evidence (industry): Director/Head of Medical Affairs (CV), Clinical Evidence Lead, HEOR Lead, RWE Director
• Clinical development & trials: Clinical Development Director, Trials Operations Lead, Investigator Engagement Manager
• Guideline & education-adjacent roles: Evidence Implementation Lead, Medical Education Director, CME Faculty Development Manager
• Research leadership: Translational Research Director, Clinical Research Program Director

Industry mapping (from your provided industry list)

Because AHA Scientific Sessions is cross-functional, we map buyer targeting to the most relevant categories from your industry list:

• Hospital & Health Care
• Pharmaceuticals
• Medical Devices
• Health, Wellness & Fitness (for certain prevention/wellbeing-aligned programs)
• Biotechnology
• Research
• Management Consulting (for outcomes/optimization and evidence strategy partners)
• Market Research (for HEOR/RWE insights functions)

Event type classification (practical)

• Major cardiovascular medical conference
• Clinical research + translational science dissemination
• Continuing education and scientific programming for clinicians and researchers
• Industry engagement for therapies, devices, diagnostics, evidence tools, and clinical workflow solutions

6) Estimated attendance (expected total footfall)

The official page content provided does not include a numeric attendance estimate. For accuracy, we will not invent a number.

What we can reliably conclude: it is described as “AHA’s biggest cardiovascular conference of the year,” indicating a large-scale, high-volume professional meeting with major exhibit and programming activity.

Next step we recommend (for your research brief): we should confirm the 2026 attendance projection from AHA’s official “attendance/participants” communications (press kit, organizer metrics, or exhibitor prospectus).

7) Key focus areas & buyer engagement

Key focus areas (why buyers show up):

• Cardiovascular prevention and epidemiology (risk stratification, population outcomes, implementation science)
• Clinical trials and evidence translation (new data, late-breaking abstracts, guideline-relevant outcomes)
• Heart failure and cardiometabolic health (care pathways, outcomes, and real-world effectiveness)
• Hypertension and vascular disease (diagnostics, risk reduction strategies, adherence pathways)
• Arrhythmias and electrophysiology (device/therapy evidence and clinical workflow integration)
• Stroke and vascular health overlap (prevention and secondary risk reduction)
• Imaging and diagnostic innovation (clinical adoption and accuracy/effectiveness evidence)

Best buyer engagement angles for outreach:

• Evidence + implementation: “We connect you with cardiology leaders and evidence stakeholders aligned to the science being presented.”
• Clinical research enablement: “We help you reach trial and research program decision-makers and investigator-facing roles.”
• Medical education alignment: “We support meeting-driven education and guideline-aligned engagement with clinician audiences.”
• Outcomes and HEOR/RWE: “We align your outreach to outcomes, payer-relevant evidence, and real-world implementation stakeholders.”

8) Client-product fit note (We need your client website to refine the buyer list)

We can review your client requirement and produce the best buyer-focused attendee/participant targeting strategy, but we need the client’s website to do it accurately.

Please share:

• Client website URL
• What the client sells (product/service category)
• Primary buyer type (hospital, pharma, device, digital health, CRO, payer, etc.)
• Geography preference (USA-only or include international roles)

Until we receive the client website, here is the conditional guidance on what we would select as “best buyers” at AHA Scientific Sessions:

• If the client sells cardiology medical devices or procedure-enabling technology: we prioritize Clinical Affairs, Medical Director, Interventional/electrophysiology leadership, and clinical evaluation titles.
• If the client sells pharma therapeutics or therapy support: we prioritize Medical Affairs, Clinical Evidence, HEOR, and Clinical Development leadership.
• If the client sells clinical research services / CRO: we prioritize Trials Operations, Clinical Research Program Directors, and translational research administrators.
• If the client sells outcomes, data, or RWE/HEOR tools: we prioritize RWE, Outcomes Research, and evidence strategy leaders.
• If the client sells digital health / remote monitoring / care pathway tools: we prioritize Cardiovascular program operations, care management leadership, and implementation/quality roles within hospitals.

9) Final recommendation (Buyer-list suitability + suggested targeting industries)

Is AHA Scientific Sessions a strong event for buyer-focused lead research? Yes—especially for products and services tied to cardiovascular therapy evidence, clinical research participation, medical education, outcomes measurement, and clinical workflow enablement.

Who we believe is most valuable to target at this specific event (buyer intent):

• Medical Affairs + Clinical Evidence/HEOR/RWE teams (industry)
• Cardiology service line leadership and cardiovascular program directors (health systems)
• Clinical research and translational leadership (academic and research institutions)
• Clinical adoption decision-makers linked to diagnostics, imaging, devices, and care pathways

Best industries to apply from your provided list (priority order):

1. Hospital & Health Care
2. Medical Devices
3. Pharmaceuticals
4. Biotechnology
5. Research
6. Market Research

What we need from you to finalize the “best buyers” for the client: please send the client website. Once we review it, we will produce a tightened buyer segment plan (titles + industries + likely buying roles) tailored to that product fit for Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago.