Site visits - GS1 Global Healthcare Conference 2026

One of the unique features of the GS1 Global Healthcare Conference 2026 is the opportunity to step beyond the conference venue and experience healthcare innovation in action. Through a series of exclusive site visits across Boston's world-renowned healthcare, life sciences, technology, and academic ecosystem, participants will gain first-hand exposure to organisations leading digital transformation, healthcare innovation, and standards implementation.

These curated visits on Monday, 2 November & Thursday, 5 November offer a rare opportunity to see real-world applications of standards-based solutions that are advancing patient safety, interoperability, traceability, and trusted data sharing. Participants will engage directly with healthcare professionals, technology leaders, researchers, and innovators while gaining practical insights and implementation ideas that can be applied within their own organisations.

Healthcare Providers: Visit leading healthcare providers to observe GS1 standards powering patient safety and operational efficiency in live clinical environments.

Manufacturing & Logistics: Explore how global manufacturers are implementing track-and-trace capabilities across their supply chains.

Academic Research: Engage with Boston's world-renowned research institutions to understand how standards are enabling data-driven research, clinical trials, and translational medicine

Technology & Innovation: Discover how technology partners are building GS1-compliant solutions that integrate seamlessly into healthcare infrastructure

Explore healthcare delivery in practice, beginning with a visit to Beth Israel Lahey Health’s central pharmacy distribution centre, followed by hospital visits including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

Participants will have the opportunity to enter clinical areas in small groups, providing a closer look at healthcare operations in a leading Boston hospital environment. BIDMC’s pharmacy operations use technology to support medication distribution, while patient safety is a core organisational priority.

Dress code guidelines for this hospital site visit, which includes clinical areas.

Smart business casual, with an emphasis on comfort and practicality, as the visits will involve walking.

Trousers: Smart trousers, chinos or tailored ankle-length trousers are recommended.

Tops: A shirt or smart top with sleeves that can be easily rolled above the elbows.

Footwear: Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are essential. Smart loafers, brogues or clean, understated trainers are all suitable.

Jewelry: Please keep to a minimum. Jewelry worn on the hands or forearms must be removed before entering clinical areas.

Jackets: Blazers or smart jackets, but they should be easy to remove when entering clinical areas.

All delegates must comply with the “bare below the elbows” policy when entering clinical areas.

Boston offers remarkable destinations for anyone intrigued by the history and evolution of medicine. The Museum of Medical History and Innovation, located at 2 North Grove Street on the Massachusetts General Hospital campus, brings centuries of medical progress to life. Opened in 2012, the museum features compelling exhibits, including original instruments used during the first successful surgical procedure performed with anesthesia, a defining milestone in modern medicine.

Just steps away, visitors can explore “Surgery Without Pain” at Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, home to the iconic Ether Dome. This historic operating theater is where surgical anesthesia was first publicly demonstrated on October 16, 1846, marking a transformative moment that forever changed patient care. Together, these sites offer a fascinating journey into medical innovation, providing a powerful glimpse into breakthroughs that continue to shape healthcare today.

Step inside one of the world's leading life sciences innovation hubs and see where the next generation of healthcare breakthroughs begins. Located in the heart of Kendall Square, JLABS @ LabCentral brings together biotech startups, researchers, and industry experts in a collaborative environment designed to accelerate innovation.

This exclusive tour offers a firsthand look at the ecosystem supporting emerging healthcare technologies and therapies, while exploring the connections between innovation, commercialization, and the data standards that enable scale and impact across the healthcare industry.

Go behind the scenes at one of McKesson Medical-Surgical’s newest distribution facilities. Spanning more than 440,000 square feet, this state-of-the-art operation supports the distribution of medical-surgical products and pharmaceuticals to healthcare providers across the region.

Attendees will see how products move through the supply chain, gain insight into large-scale healthcare distribution operations, and learn how efficiency, visibility, and traceability help ensure product availability and patient care.