HOSA International Leadership Conference 2026: Complete Visitor Guide
Updated March 7, 2026
13,000 future health professionals, five days of competition, and one of the most energetic student events Indianapolis hosts all year. Whether you're a competitor, an advisor, or a family member making the trip — here's how to make the most of HOSA ILC in Indianapolis.
What Is HOSA ILC?
HOSA — Future Health Professionals is the largest student organization dedicated to health science education, with chapters in high schools and colleges across all 50 states and internationally. The International Leadership Conference is HOSA's national championship event: a five-day gathering where students who have already won at the state level compete in more than 60 competitive events covering clinical skills, health science knowledge, leadership, and health career exploration.
The scale is significant. Indianapolis hosts 13,000 participants — students, advisors, and family members — at the Indiana Convention Center for the full conference week. For many students, HOSA ILC is their first major national event. The competition is serious, the networking is real, and Indianapolis is an excellent backdrop for one of the biggest weeks of a health-career student's life.
HOSA ILC competitive events fall into several categories: clinical skills (CPR/First Aid, Clinical Nursing, Medical Math, Dental Science), health science knowledge (Medical Terminology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology), leadership events (HOSA Bowl, Extemporaneous Health Poster, Prepared Speaking, Community Awareness), and recognition programs. Competition dress requirements vary by event — lab coats, scrubs, or business professional. Check the HOSA competitive event guidelines on hosa.org before packing.
Beyond competitive events, ILC includes keynote speakers from the healthcare industry, leadership workshops, chapter officer elections, and health career exploration sessions. These sessions run throughout the week alongside competitions — check the HOSA conference app for the full schedule. The keynote speakers are typically practicing clinicians, healthcare executives, or medical innovators, and their sessions are worth attending even when you aren't competing.
The crowd is almost entirely high school and college students (mostly 15–22 years old), their chapter advisors, and family members who travel to watch them compete. This matters for planning: the restaurants closest to the ICC get flooded with student groups at peak meal times, the Convention Center hallways are loud and busy during session transitions, and the whole city sees a surge in demand for casual dining across all five days.
The Five-Day Competition Schedule
HOSA ILC runs Wednesday through Sunday, June 17–21. The structure shifts year to year, but the general pattern is consistent: Wednesday is arrival and opening ceremonies, Thursday and Friday are peak competition days when the ICC is at maximum capacity, Saturday brings finals and recognition events, and Sunday closes with awards and farewell ceremonies.
Registration and badge pickup at the Indiana Convention Center. Delegates check in at their hotel, attend orientation sessions, and gather for the Opening General Session. Plan for long lines at registration in the early-to-mid afternoon — arriving in the morning or evening is faster. The Opening Session sets the tone for the week: 13,000 students in a room together is a genuinely powerful experience that most attendees remember.
These are the days when the ICC runs at full capacity and competitive events fill the convention halls from early morning. Students may have morning events, afternoon events, or both — check your specific schedule on the HOSA app before each day starts. Hallways are packed during session transitions; build in 15–20 minutes of buffer between your event time and your departure from your hotel. Waiting areas near competition rooms fill up — know where your group will meet after events.
Finalists in competitive events compete for gold, silver, and bronze awards. Recognition ceremonies honor state and national award recipients. The energy in the convention shifts from competition anxiety to celebration. Students who are not in finals often have more free time on Saturday afternoon — a good day to use for Canal Walk, the Indianapolis Zoo, or a Victory Field baseball game.
The Closing General Session formally recognizes national award winners, installs new officers, and closes the conference. Many attendees depart Sunday afternoon — expect checkout lines at hotels and traffic around the ICC as groups leave simultaneously. If you can depart Sunday evening rather than mid-afternoon, the congestion is significantly lighter.
Where to Eat — Feeding a Student Group
Feeding student groups during HOSA ILC requires a different strategy than a typical convention. The restaurants immediately surrounding the Indiana Convention Center — on Georgia Street, in Pan Am Plaza, and on Capitol Avenue — see lines at lunch and dinner that test everyone's patience for all five days. The best approach is to walk or rideshare a little farther than everyone else.
906 Carrollton Ave — about 15 minutes on foot from the ICC via the Cultural Trail, or a five-minute Uber. The Garage is the single best solution for student groups of 8–20 people with different food preferences and no patience for a 45-minute table wait. More than 20 vendors under one roof: New York-style pizza, Korean BBQ, tacos, burgers, lobster rolls, Thai, Japanese ramen, pastries, and more. No reservations, walk-up only, large communal seating. Everyone gets what they want, you eat together, prices are reasonable, and you're done in under an hour. Use this at least twice during the conference week.
Mass Ave is 10–15 minutes northeast of the Convention Center on foot and gets dramatically less HOSA traffic than the Georgia Street corridor. The strip has 20+ restaurants ranging from quick to sit-down: Bazbeaux Pizza (New York-style by the slice, great for groups, walk-in friendly), Yats (Cajun classics, fast service, beloved by locals, nothing over $12 — outstanding value for student groups), Bakersfield (tacos and queso), Bluebeard, Rook, and Beholder. For a chapter looking to eat together without advance reservations, Yats or Bazbeaux on Mass Ave is the right call.
Yard House (Pan Am Plaza), Punch Bowl Social (Bottleworks), and Goodfella's Pizzeria are the spots most HOSA attendees gravitate toward because they're close. Goodfella's is the best quick option — New York-style pizza, fast service, no long sit-down wait. Yard House and Punch Bowl Social are excellent but expect real waits from 5:30–8:30 PM during the conference. Punch Bowl Social has the bonus of bowling and arcade games — a good group evening, but book the lanes in advance. If you're eating at any of these, go before 5:30 PM or after 8:30 PM.
When you have 45 minutes between events and can't leave the ICC area: Georgia Street has sandwich and fast-casual vendors, and the Convention Center concessions (pizza, pretzels, drinks) are convenient but expensive. One block north on Washington Street there's a Starbucks and several quick-serve options. Jimmy John's a short walk east on Maryland handles sandwich orders for groups efficiently. For a grocery run — sports drinks, snacks, breakfast bars for early morning competition days — the nearest Kroger is on Ohio Street about a mile east, worth a trip on arrival day.
Hotels & Getting There
Downtown Indianapolis hotels fill up for HOSA ILC. The conference manages a hotel block for registered attendees that is the right starting point — book through the official HOSA housing system before the block sells out.
HOSA negotiates discounted rates at partner downtown hotels for ILC attendees. Block hotels are close to or skywalk-connected to the Convention Center, and the rates are typically competitive with anything you'll find independently. Check hosa.org for the housing booking link — it opens months before the event and individual hotels within the block fill on their own timelines.
The JW Marriott, Marriott Downtown, Westin, Conrad Indianapolis, Hyatt Regency, Crowne Plaza, and Sheraton are all connected to the Indiana Convention Center via Indianapolis's indoor skywalk system. In June, the weather is warm and pleasant — but the skywalk is still the fastest route between your room and the competition halls, and students heading to 7 AM events don't have to deal with outdoor logistics. These hotels also have on-site dining, which becomes valuable after long competition days. See our skywalk guide for the full building map.
Indianapolis International Airport is about 20 minutes southwest of downtown by rideshare — expect $25–35 for a standard Uber or Lyft to your hotel. Many chapters arrive by charter bus, which drops off near the Convention Center's south entrance on South Street. If driving, pre-book parking on SpotHero before you leave home. Walk-up garage rates during events run $25–40/day; pre-booked spots in the same garages often run $15–22. The Pan Am Plaza Garage (201 S Capitol Ave) and ICC Lot 3 (327 S Missouri St) are the closest options to the building.
Free Time in Indianapolis
Five days in a city means real gaps between sessions — and Indianapolis has genuinely excellent outdoor and cultural options that are walkable or a short rideshare from the Convention Center. Most HOSA attendees underestimate how much is within easy reach.
The Central Canal runs 1.5 miles through downtown Indianapolis with a paved waterside path, pedal boat rentals, bridges, and a park atmosphere that feels completely removed from the convention. It's one of Indy's best features and a 15-minute walk west from the ICC. An excellent spot for a post-competition decompression walk, a morning run, or a relaxed evening stroll with your group. Pedal boats rent by the hour in June. The Canal connects at its southern end to White River State Park. See our Canal Walk guide.
The Cultural Trail is an 8-mile paved urban bike and pedestrian path that passes directly along the south and east sides of the Convention Center and connects to Mass Ave, the Canal Walk, the Bottleworks District, and Fountain Square. You can walk the Trail from the ICC to Mass Ave in about 15 minutes or to Bottleworks in about 20. It's well-lit, well-maintained, and busy on June evenings. For students with a free evening, walking the Trail from the ICC to Bottleworks for dinner at The Garage is one of the best Indianapolis experiences you can have in a casual setting. See our Cultural Trail guide.
A mile west of the ICC, White River State Park holds the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indiana State Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and Victory Field (home of the Indianapolis Indians Triple-A baseball team). June means all outdoor exhibits are fully open. The zoo requires 3–4 hours and is worth it for a free afternoon. Victory Field games are an easy, affordable evening — tickets typically $10–15, one of the country's most acclaimed minor league ballparks, and a genuinely fun group outing. The Eiteljorg is excellent for 90-minute visits; student admission is discounted. See our White River State Park guide.
Students who are 21 can explore Mass Ave's bar and restaurant scene or the Bottleworks District's nightlife options. For the 18–20 crowd: Punch Bowl Social has bowling, ping pong, and arcade games open to all ages. The Bottleworks District itself is worth visiting for shopping, food, and the spectacular architecture of the converted Coca-Cola bottling plant. Monument Circle — 10 minutes north of the ICC — is Indianapolis's central landmark, surrounded by shops, coffee, and the Indiana War Memorial. Indianapolis City Market at 222 E Market St has a food hall feel welcoming to all ages.
Families & Advisors
For parents and family members traveling to watch competitors, the HOSA competition schedule means you often have extended blocks of time in Indianapolis while your student is in events you can't attend. Here's how to make the most of it — and what advisors managing student groups need to know.
Family members can generally attend the Opening and Closing General Sessions (verify ticketing details through HOSA registration), Recognition Ceremonies for competitive event award recipients, and any open career exploration programming. Most competitive events are closed to spectators while judging is active. Plan to be available for ceremonies and have your own itinerary for the competition windows.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields is 5 miles north — a full morning or afternoon destination. The Indianapolis Zoo is 1.5 miles from the ICC and requires a half day. The Canal Walk and Cultural Trail are free with no planning needed. Monument Circle is a 10-minute walk from the ICC with coffee shops and retail. Mass Ave has independent boutiques and restaurants worth exploring at the relaxed pace that students rarely have time for during a competition week.
Designate a specific physical meeting point in or near your hotel on Day 1 — a "if communications fail, meet here" spot. Build 15–20 minutes of buffer time into any transit between the ICC's competition rooms. Coordinate group meals before the trip, not the night of. For hotel curfews, communicate expectations clearly before departure and establish a daily check-in procedure. Brief students on basic city safety: group movement in the evenings is the expectation, not solo exploration.
Practical Tips for HOSA ILC
Lab coats, scrubs, stethoscopes, business formal — requirements depend entirely on your event. Verify against the HOSA competitive event guidelines before you pack. Uniform items are not easily purchased near the Convention Center, and students who arrive missing required attire have no good options. If your event requires clinical supplies, pack them carry-on or in clearly labeled luggage.
The Indiana Convention Center is a large, multi-wing building with numbered halls across multiple levels. Walking to your competition hall on arrival day — before you need to be there — eliminates 15 minutes of confusion on competition morning. Know the nearest restroom to your event room. The ICC is well-signed but it is a genuinely large building.
Indianapolis in mid-June is typically warm (highs in the low-to-mid 80s°F) with moderate humidity — significantly better than late July. The Canal Walk and Cultural Trail are at their best conditions. Pack comfortable walking shoes for both the ICC halls and any outdoor activities. The Convention Center is heavily air-conditioned, so a light layer is worth having for sessions even in June.
This is the single logistical decision that determines the rest of your HOSA ILC week. Families who end up in suburban hotels 20–25 minutes from the ICC are driving every day, paying daily parking rates, and adding an hour or more to each competition day's logistics. Check hosa.org for the hotel block link and book as early as registration allows.
After the awards ceremony or on Saturday evening, do your team dinner right. Punch Bowl Social at Bottleworks — bowling plus dinner in one building — is a top pick for a celebration night. Yard House handles groups with advance reservations. Bazbeaux on Mass Ave is relaxed and walk-in friendly for smaller groups. Don't walk into a restaurant two blocks from the ICC at 7 PM on Saturday night without a reservation — the wait will deflate the celebration mood.
It's easy for students to treat ILC as a school trip with competition attached. Encourage them to approach the professionals they encounter in hallways and keynote settings as the beginning of a professional network. Collecting business cards or LinkedIn connections from judges, speakers, and practitioners met at ILC — and following up afterward — is a habit that separates students who get something lasting from this experience from those who just remember it as a fun trip.
Before You Go
Check the official HOSA website for the 2026 ILC schedule, competitive event guidelines, hotel block information, and registration details. The conference runs June 17–21, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis. Book your hotel through the HOSA block as early as possible — downtown Indianapolis fills during this event.