By Steve Moran

There are conferences, and then there are conferences; some are better than others, some make a difference, and others don’t. 

Some simply reflect what’s happening in senior housing and care, and others, like NIC Spring 2026, help shape what is happening in senior living. 

The industry is heading to Nashville March 30–April 1, 2026, and NIC is already signaling momentum: it’s their first time in Nashville, and they’re positioning this conference as the place where the next act gets written: capital, care, and community in the same room.

This matters because right now, we are not in a “wait and see” season. We’re in the “What do we do next?” season. 

If you’re an operator, developer, investor, lender, vendor partner, or someone who just wants to understand where the puck is going, the NIC Spring Conference is the best place to be. 

What I’m Expecting To Dominate The Room

Lisa McKracken from NIC was recently on Foresight TV, and we spent some time talking about the spring conference and what leaders will be talking and thinking about.

  1. Workforce, but With a Twist

    Workforce will be one of the hot topics for sure. But the more interesting conversation is this: What kind of workforce conversation do we finally decide to have?I personally don’t think we have a staffing shortage as much as we have a culture shortage. I’m not pretending there aren’t labor constraints — but I am saying there are organizations that consistently attract applicants because they’ve built the kind of workplace people want to be part of.

    And I’m watching closely for the sessions that aim right at this question: can senior living “win” in the workforce if we become the best place to work?

    This is not a theoretical debate. That’s a survival and growth strategy.

  2. Value-Based Care and the CMS Signal

    If you want one “pay attention” indicator for where the industry is heading, this is it: NIC has a senior CMS leader showing up.Whether you love value-based care, hate it, or don’t even want to say the phrase out loud, it’s moving closer to our world. The smart move is to understand what it means before it becomes something that happens to you instead of with you.
  3. Occupancy, Penetration, and What’s Actually Driving Demand

    We talked about record-high occupancy, but here is the question that keeps nagging at me:

    Is occupancy rising because consumers are newly enthusiastic about senior living … or is it simply demographics plus low new supply?

    We can point to demographics and limited inventory growth, but measuring consumer enthusiasm is harder — and the real test may come when development accelerates again.

    That’s exactly why I think this NIC Spring is so important. We’re in a window where data, capital, and operator execution are all interacting in real time — and the decisions people make in 2026 will show up in performance for years.

  4. The Conversation I Want Everyone To Have in Nashville

    Here’s the question I wish every leader would carry into NIC Spring:If you woke up tomorrow as the CEO of a well-funded senior living organization … what would you build?The answer shouldn’t just be “a bigger building.” It should be something closer to an ecosystem — a hub that influences health, connection, prevention, and community long before someone moves in.

    That idea hits because it points to what I believe is still senior living’s most under-marketed superpower:

    Human connection.

    Not programming. Not dining. Not even care.

    Connection. A village. A place where your world gets bigger instead of smaller as you age.

    If Nashville becomes the place where more leaders start building toward that, we’ll look back on NIC Spring 2026 as a turning point.

Practical Notes if You’re Deciding Whether To Go

If you’re on the fence, a few quick realities:

  • NIC Spring runs March 30 – April 1, 2026 in Nashville.
  • Registration pricing moves in phases, and onsite registration is the most expensive tier. Register HERE.
  • Hotels can get tight fast around the venue — and yes, I waited too long too. (Don’t be me.)

I’ll Be There — Let’s Make It Useful

I’ll be in Nashville doing what I do: conversations, hallway interviews, trend-spotting, and trying to capture what’s really happening (not just what’s on the stage). If you see me, grab me. If you want to do a quick video interview, even better.

And if you want the longer, more nuanced version of all this — including Lisa’s best “signals” to watch — here’s the full livestream.