IDEAL 2027 Leadership Summit

The debut of IDEAL's flagship annual summit.

Pre-Register

Waves of Change: Women Driving the Future of Care

A boutique leadership retreat for women holding leadership roles across healthcare, from director through executive, at Hotel Effie in Sandestin, FL.

September 12–14, 2027

For Guests

An intimate retreat, built for real conversation

We've capped the room at 100 executive women, with a deliberate sponsor-to-guest ratio that keeps every conversation personal. This is a working leadership retreat: keynotes and faculty panels alongside hands-on formats where every leader in the room is an active participant.

What to expect

Over a day and a half at Hotel Effie, a rooftop-pool, oceanfront property on Sandestin's coast, you'll move through:

  • Keynotes and faculty panels featuring healthcare leaders speaking directly to the realities of the executive path.

  • Executive Problem-Solving Labs, where you bring a real organizational challenge and work through it with peers and faculty.

  • Leadership Circles, small peer groups formed before the Summit that keep meeting throughout the event, and can continue meeting virtually long after you're home.

  • Lawn and offsite activities built for relationship building, where many of the Summit's most valuable connections happen.

The full agenda is still being finalized. As details lock in, we'll share them here first.

Why this Summit

IDEAL was founded on a simple observation: healthcare leadership should reflect the people it serves, and getting there takes real, sustained work. The Summit is where that work happens in person: real mentorship, real advocacy, and a community built to outlast the event itself. You're joining the IDEAL community.

Dates and details

Theme: Waves of Change: Women Driving the Future of Care

Dates: September 12–14, 2027

Venue: Hotel Effie, Sandestin, FL

Format: A day-and-a-half boutique leadership retreat: keynotes, panels, and hands-on programming

Capacity: Capped at 100 attendees, by design

Reserve your spot

Pre-registration is open now, and it's free. Ticket sales open January 1, 2027, once the full agenda and pricing are finalized. Pre-registering takes a minute: it tells us you're interested and puts you on the list to be notified the moment tickets go live, ahead of the general public.

Pre-Register

FAQS

  • We've intentionally kept the Summit affordable. With support from sponsors and donors, we expect ticket prices to fall between $150 and $200. Final pricing will be confirmed when tickets go on sale.

  • Pre-registering is free and doesn't commit you to a ticket purchase. It tells us you're interested and adds you to the list to be notified the moment tickets go on sale, ahead of the general public.

  • Ticket sales open January 1, 2027.

  • Summit registration is open to all women holding leadership roles across healthcare. We do ask every attendee to join the IDEAL community before the event. Membership is free, and it's how we keep you updated as Summit details are confirmed.

  • This year's Summit is built for women who currently hold a leadership title, from director through executive, since the programming is designed around the realities of that role. If that's not you yet, we'd love to keep you in the IDEAL community for when it is: pre-register to stay connected, and watch for updates on future years. We're exploring an additional track for emerging leaders down the road.

  • The Summit is a women-only space, by design. It's what allows the room to be candid, including about the harder parts of the executive path.

  • Hotel Effie, an oceanfront property in Sandestin, FL, with a rooftop pool and lounge. Arrival is the afternoon of September 12, with programming on September 13 and 14.

  • Your ticket covers full access to Summit programming, all lawn and offsite activities, and meals throughout the event. Travel and hotel accommodations at Hotel Effie are arranged and paid for separately by each attendee.

  • Yes. Each attendee registers individually, and the Summit welcomes multiple leaders from the same organization, space permitting given the 100-person cap.

  • Please contact jkandt@ideal4healthcare.com with any questions / inquiries for this event.