Inside Elevate 2026: The Room Where Medical Sales Reps Levels Up
Last year, The Lobby Sales Summit sold out in Dallas and set a new standard for what a medical-sales gathering could be. This year, it grew up and earned a new name to match.
Elevate brought medical-sales professionals from across the country to Atlanta for one day designed to do exactly what the name promises: lift careers, leadership, and the entire industry a level higher. Aspiring reps, top performers, recruiters, executives, hiring leaders, and the sponsors building the future of the field all stood shoulder to shoulder, and the energy in the room reflected it.
Based on the exit-survey responses that have rolled in since, that energy didn't stay in Atlanta.
From Summit to Elevate
The rebrand wasn't cosmetic. As founder Kendy Elmore put it:
"The event has evolved into something much bigger than a conference. We're building a platform and community focused on helping people elevate their careers, leadership, confidence, relationships, and opportunities. The word 'Elevate' reflects the type of environment we're creating: high-level conversations, high-level people, high-level opportunities. At the same time, we want it to remain authentic, accessible, and community-driven."
That balance, high-caliber and approachable, ambitious and human, is exactly what attendees described.
A Room Built on Purpose
When Kendy designed this year's event, he had a specific outcome in mind: he wanted every person to walk out feeling inspired, confident, and connected.
To get there, he intentionally mixed aspiring reps, current reps, executives, recruiters, and leaders into the same environment so meaningful interaction wasn't left to chance. Workshops, panels, networking receptions, and social events were all engineered to encourage genuine connection.
The survey data backed it up. The overwhelming majority of respondents said the day exceeded their expectations. Likelihood-to-recommend scores hovered near a perfect 10. And when asked who they connected with, attendees named the full spectrum: recruiters, hiring managers, current reps, aspiring reps, sponsors, potential mentors, and industry leaders. Every layer of the industry, in one place, talking to each other.
The Sessions That Stuck
A few names came up again and again across the exit surveys.
Kat Hurd's Sales Workshop was the single most-mentioned standout. Attendees called it authentic, praised the mastery she brought to the nuances of the craft, and walked away with what one rep described as "a ton of nuggets" they could put into practice the very next Monday.
Jon Alwinson's featured session drew people in deeply enough that one attendee, Jack Bunson, researched Jon's book the night before just so he could have a meaningful one-on-one conversation. "Awesome experience," Jack wrote afterward.
Paula Rutledge's session, Why Some Careers Take Off and Others Stall, hit especially hard for newer reps. Josie Cross described how Paula tied her "why" to her relationship with her parents: "Hearing Paula's story and relating to it helped build my confidence to share my story and be proud of who I am and why I do what I do."
The Aspiring Rep Breakout earned high marks from attendees actively working to break in. They got to ask real questions of real people in real time.
The Top Performer and Executive Leadership Panels gave seasoned attendees and aspiring reps alike a window into what hiring managers are actually looking for, with the kind of unfiltered honesty you can't get from a job description.
The Authenticity Throughline
If there was one phrase that surfaced more than any other in the exit survey, it was some version of be yourself, stay persistent.
"Persistence and authenticity." — Jack Bunson "One word: persistence." — Laila Powell "Be your unique self heading into an interview." — Jalen Fontud "To be consistent and be my authentic self, and trust that my authenticity is enough." — Josie Cross "Med device is definitely the industry for me. I felt surrounded by intelligent, like-minded people who want to win together." — Lauren Noble
Kendy isn't surprised that's what stuck.
"I think people are exhausted by polished personas and transactional networking. Medical sales is still fundamentally a relationship-driven industry. Tactics and preparation matter, but authenticity is what people remember long term."
He credits the speakers for setting that tone by being willing to openly discuss the failures, rejection, career setbacks, imposter syndrome, and lessons learned the hard way that rarely make it into a polished stage presentation.
"Those conversations resonate more deeply than scripted answers. Attendees realized there's no perfect formula for success. The people who stand out in this industry are usually the ones who lean into who they are, build genuine relationships, and stay persistent through adversity."
Why the Room Still Matters
In a world where most professional discovery happens on LinkedIn, one of the biggest themes from this year's Elevate was the irreplaceable value of being physically in the room.
Lobby chapter leader Aaron Greenberg put it plainly:
"You have to get into the room. That's a medical sales rep's entire job. It doesn't matter what niche or specialty. More times than not, you don't know what opportunity is on the inside of that room. That's why I'd recommend getting involved in The Lobby. One conversation can change a career."
Kendy echoed the same idea from the founder's seat:
"Digital platforms are incredible for discovery. But in-person environments create trust and depth much faster. A LinkedIn message can open a door, but sharing a conversation, a workshop, a dinner, or a networking event creates a much stronger relationship. The room creates opportunities and collisions you simply can't replicate online."
Community Over Competition
The collaborative spirit kept surfacing in the language attendees used and in the conversations chapter leaders described.
Aaron framed it this way:
"My personal mission for life is to make an impact on people. Professionally, there's plenty of opportunity to go around for those willing to work for it. And the more quality people we collaborate with, the flatter the discrepancy in patient care gets. What we do is about access first for us and then, in turn, access for patients. The reality is, anyone in that room could have a real clinical impact on someone I love in a time of clinical need."
Attendees felt it on the ground. Caleb Downs summed it up in a single line in the survey: "The passion to help everyone succeed regardless of status or company."
That's the energy Elevate is designed to multiply.
How It Felt
Sometimes the truest measure of an event isn't the data. It's how people describe the way they felt when they walked out.
Senior plastic surgery sales representative and Elevate speaker Ali Flax captured:
"You know when you leave your national sales meeting and you are PUMPED up? That's exactly how I feel. I'm telling you, from my heart to yours, don't miss the next one. Take the PTO, buy the plane ticket and be there."
What’s Next: Vocari and Beyond
The momentum doesn't end in Atlanta. Vocari, The Lobby's AI-powered talent-matching platform built specifically for the healthcare-sales community, is connecting our growing network of professionals with the companies that need them, matching candidates and employers on experience, goals, and culture fit.
Survey respondents are already raising their hands for what's next. The most-requested opportunities after Elevate: future Elevate conferences, The Lobby networking events, private networking dinners, career coaching, hiring opportunities, and Vocari.
Whether you're hunting for your next role, hiring your next rep, or simply curious where the industry is headed, Vocari is built for you.
Create your Vocari profile and get matched with opportunities designed for the healthcare-sales community.
The community is asking for more. We're building it.
Step Inside
If you're reading this and wondering whether the next Elevate is worth the PTO and the plane ticket, Kendy has an answer:
"You never know which conversation or relationship is about to change the trajectory of your career. Every year, people leave events like this with mentors, referrals, job opportunities, friendships, confidence, and clarity. The people who grow the fastest in this industry consistently put themselves in the right rooms. If you're serious about growing your career, building meaningful relationships, learning from top performers, and surrounding yourself with ambitious people, you should be there. That's what Elevate is really about."
The Lobby continues to grow as the largest medical-sales community in North America, a place where connection turns into opportunity and ambition meets access.
Join your local chapter, stay active with us on LinkedIn, and be the first to know when doors open for the next Elevate.
Step inside The Lobby where the medical-sales community connects, learns, and levels up.