A Mercy Flight helicopter on a rooftop helipad at sunrise beside a Mercy Flight EMS ambulance

Hosted by Mercy Flight2027 Northeast EMS Conference

When Minutes Matter

One EMS community.

June 22–23, 2027

Terminal B at Outer Harbor · Buffalo, NY

Pre-conference June 21 · Post-conference June 24

An outdoor, hands-on conference for everyone who cares for the patient before the hospital. Every agency, career and volunteer, ground and air.

Get registration updates Sponsor or exhibit

247 Days to go

The concept

Train together. Respond as one.

From the first unit on scene to the hand-off at the hospital, every crew matters. This is where we level up together.

When Minutes Matter brings EMS and other public safety agencies from across Western New York, Northwest Pennsylvania and beyond to learn side by side. Four outdoor learning sites at Terminal B on Buffalo's Outer Harbor keep you moving, with 60–70% hands-on learning, so you spend the day doing, not just listening, and bring it home to your crew.

We're outside rain or shine, just like the job.

Aerial view of the Terminal B event grounds and stage on Buffalo's Outer Harbor — Terminal B during a separate public event. Conference attendance is not depicted.

Every role, every level

First responders, EMTs, paramedics, nurses and flight crews, with sessions for each.

Learn by doing

Skills labs, simulation and scenarios instead of rows of chairs.

Patient first

Every station is built around the patient, from the first call to the hand-off at the hospital.

Every agency

Career and volunteer, urban and rural. Train next to the crews you meet on calls, from across the region and beyond.

The program

Learn by doing.

Skills stations, simulation and competition built around the patient, for every level from first responder through critical care and flight.

Mercy Flight helicopter in flight over trees

Four outdoor learning sites

Hands-on education spread across the Terminal B grounds, with room for full-scale scenarios.

Clinical skills experiences

Dedicated Airway, Trauma and Pediatric Skills Experiences for every certification level.

Live Scenario Arena

A featured simulation program that puts crews in realistic patient-care scenarios.

EMS Team Competition

Crews from across the region go head to head in hands-on scenarios. Team signup details are coming soon.

Flight & Ground Response Showcase

Helicopter fly-ins and static displays of air and ground units, subject to aircraft availability.

Vendor Marketplace

Meet the companies behind your equipment, plus a Technology Demonstration Zone for what's next.

Program elements are subject to final confirmation. Aircraft activities depend on operational approvals and conditions.

Continuing education

Up to 16 CE hours.

Mercy Flight offers 8 hours of CE each main day. Choose the sessions you want and the conference app tracks your hours as you go.

Check in

Scan the session QR code. Check-in opens 15 minutes before the start and closes 15 minutes after.

Evaluate

Answer a short session evaluation within 24 hours of the session.

Verify

Enter the code your presenter gives at the end, also within 24 hours.

Your certificate is issued in the app once your sessions are verified.

Mercy Flight helicopter on a helipad lit with colored lights at night

June 22 · First night

The Shift Change Social.

Clock out and connect. A first-night networking social on the waterfront for attendees, faculty and partners. Details coming soon.

The conference app

Agenda, map and CE in one app.

No app store needed. Registered attendees log in with the email they used to register, then add it to their home screen.

Live agenda and your own schedule
Venue map with all four learning sites
CE check-in and all your certificates
Live updates, fly-in times and weather alerts

About the attendee app

The app opens to registered attendees closer to the conference.

Call for presenters

Teach what you know best.

We're building a hands-on program of skills stations, scenarios, whiteboard talks and panels, with very few slide lectures. If you teach it well, we want to hear from you, from any agency and any role.

Proposals due January 31, 2027 · Presenters get a free pass for both main days

Submit a session proposal

Sponsors & exhibitors

Be part of the experience.

Five partnership packages from $2,500 to $25,000, plus exclusive named experiences, Shift Change Social sponsorships and standalone exhibit space.

View sponsorships Prospectus (PDF)

Year-round

Bring it home to your crew.

Mercy Flight's clinical outreach works with EMS and other public safety agencies across Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania all year, not just at the conference. Tell us what would help your crew.

Request training for your agency

Registration opens soon

Be the first to know.

Registration, hotel room blocks and the full agenda go out to this list first.

Getting here

On Buffalo's waterfront.

The venue

Terminal B at Outer Harbor, Buffalo, NY. An outdoor waterfront event site, so dress for the weather and bring sun protection.

Flying in

Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) is about 13 miles from the Outer Harbor, roughly a 20-minute drive.

Where to stay

Conference room blocks will be announced here. Until then, every hotel below is within a 20-minute drive of the venue.

Hotels within 20 minutes

Sixteen options from budget to boutique, all a short drive from Terminal B.

Distance and drive time are from Terminal B (901 Fuhrmann Blvd) without traffic. Average price is a typical nightly rate before taxes and fees, based on KAYAK’s monthly averages for the past year (checked October 2026). June 2027 rates will vary. Hotels are listed for convenience, not as endorsements. Photos are from the hotels’ websites and listings or Wikimedia Commons, credited on each photo.