JNEP · 2027

Agoris analysis · updated October 2026

Key takeaways

• The JNEP, Journées Nationales d'Étude et de Perfectionnement of the UNAIBODE, is the national congress of state-registered operating theatre nurses (IBODE). It is a two-day professional congress: a scientific programme (in 2026: plenary sessions, debate conferences and a news forum) and an exhibition of industry partners, which the 2026 programme placed at the breaks and during lunches.
• Next edition: the 42nd, on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 May 2027, at the Corum in Montpellier, on the theme “L'IBODE au cœur de l'innovation” (the IBODE at the heart of innovation).
• Organiser: the UNAIBODE, the national union of operating theatre nurses' associations, a non-profit association under the 1901 law. The 2027 edition is organised with the support of the AIBOOM, the Occitanie Méditerranée regional association.
• Annual frequency, in a different city each edition: Clermont-Ferrand in 2024, Mandelieu-la-Napoule in 2025, Brest in 2026, Montpellier in 2027.
• At the time of writing, the 2027 edition website announces the dates, the venue and the principle of the exhibition. The full programme, the registration fees and the 2027 partner pack have not yet been published.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

The JNEP exhibition brings together the manufacturers and suppliers that work with the operating theatre. The congress gives it a real place in the day: the 2026 programme in Brest included breaks titled “Pause et visite des partenaires exposants” (break and visit to the exhibiting partners), two on Thursday and one on Friday, and, each day, a lunch cocktail “parmi nos exposants” (among our exhibitors).

The scientific content shows which suppliers the audience is interested in. In 2026, the talks covered robotic thoracic surgery, robot-assisted knee replacement, planning of shoulder prosthetic surgery, the thoracic stent graft in a hybrid theatre, minimally invasive surgery and digital tools for the flows between theatre and pharmacy. One debate conference presented recommendations from the SPFDM and Europharmat on eco-responsibility. The IBODE handles medical devices, instruments and theatre equipment every day: they are the natural contacts on a stand.

Notable exhibitors

No exhibitor list has been announced as such for the 2027 edition at the time of writing. The Partners page of the 2027 website names Applied Medical, Medtronic and Striker (spelled that way on the page), without specifying their role or whether they will be on the exhibition. No exhibitor list for previous editions was found on the UNAIBODE website. The 2026 programme did, however, associate a Stryker speaker with the talk on shoulder surgery planning, and the announcement panel of the 2026 programme mentioned “Ateliers organisés par nos partenaires laboratoires” (workshops run by our laboratory partners), although no workshop appears in the published timetable.

Quality of the audience

The audience is that of a specific nursing specialty. In its call for partners for the 2025 edition, the organiser described an audience of 800 to 1,100 operating theatre professionals: nurses and specialist nurses, managers, teachers and school directors, from mainland France and the overseas territories, as well as European delegations. This figure is the organiser's own presentation, not an attendance report: no audited edition figures are published.

The JNEP is also a training activity. The UNAIBODE is Qualiopi-certified for its training activities, and in 2026 registration could be funded through the continuing education budget of the healthcare establishment, under an agreement. A congress attendee could therefore come with the support of their employer, on a programme designed around daily practice.

The UNAIBODE brings together 19 regional associations, from mainland France to New Caledonia, Polynesia and La Réunion. Founded in 1983 under the name UNAISO and renamed UNAIBODE in 1993, it is a founding member of the European association EORNA and a member of the Collège National Professionnel IBODE.

Events & community

Conference programme

The full 2027 programme has not yet been published. At the time of writing, the Programme page of the edition's website shows three sessions for Thursday 27 May: an “Atelier de simulation : Carcinologie” (simulation workshop: carcinology), “Robot ORL” (ENT robot) and a “Forum des actualités” (news forum), and no session for Friday 28 May. For reference, the 2026 programme in Brest alternated plenary sessions in the morning, where an IBODE and surgeon pair often presents a technique or an organisation, and debate conferences on Thursday afternoon, with the profession's news forum on Friday afternoon.

In 2026, the debate conferences covered advanced practice, artificial intelligence in the operating theatre, the prevention of risks and adverse events, musculoskeletal disorders, on-call duty, the new VAE (validation of acquired experience) at university and eco-responsibility. Each attendee could register for two debate conferences. The news forum brought together, on the programme, the presidents of the UNAIBODE, the AEEIBO, the SNIBO and the CNP IBODE, as well as the UNAIBODE's legal adviser.

Awards and highlights

The 2026 programme placed the presentation of the SoFERIBO prizes on Friday morning: three prizes, Junior, Senior and Poster. It provided for an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony, with, just before the latter, the presentation of the 42nd JNEP in Montpellier by the president of the AIBOOM.

Community & networks

The JNEP is the national gathering of a network organised by region: each edition is prepared with the regional association that hosts the congress, CAPIBO in 2025, AIBOOM in 2027. The UNAIBODE general assembly takes place before the national days. The rest of the year, the regional associations organise their own days, the JREP.

The UNAIBODE is also present at other congresses, in vascular surgery, gynaecological surgery, arthroscopy or around medical devices, through a stand or a talk, and publishes professional booklets on operating theatre practice.

On site: what you need to know

The congress takes place at the Corum, which is at once a congress centre, an opera house and an exhibition centre, in the very heart of Montpellier. According to its operator Montpellier Events, the Corum has three auditoriums, including the 2,000-seat Berlioz auditorium, 6,000 m² of exhibition space with natural light and more than 24 meeting rooms.

The tram serves the Corum stop on lines 1, 2 and 4, and Saint-Roch station is a 10-minute walk away. From the airport, shuttle line 620 goes to the Place de l'Europe stop, then tram line 1 or 2 runs to the Corum stop; by car, the airport is less than 30 minutes away. The Corum car park has 500 spaces, and the building has two loading and unloading docks.

Access for people with reduced mobility is via level 1, along the allée des Républicains Espagnols, and the event page on the Montpellier Events website offers a link to book an accessible space.

How much it costs to exhibit

Preparing your visit

For the exhibitor

• Contact the UNAIBODE via its contact page to obtain the 2027 partner pack, which is not yet online.
• Plan ahead: for 2025, the organiser asked partners to reply before 15 February, nearly four months before the congress, and allocated spaces in order of arrival of the orders accompanied by payment.
• Consider the workshop format, held in 2025 on Friday morning: it is an opportunity to let a small group of professionals handle a device.
• Plan the set-up the day before opening: in 2025, stands were built the day before from 8am to 6pm and dismantled on Friday afternoon.

For the decision-making visitor

• Registration for 2027 is not open at the time of writing. For reference, in 2026, registration for the two days cost €499 incl. VAT for a member, €721 incl. VAT for a non-member and €223 incl. VAT for a junior or retired member, with a surcharge of €64 from 17 May 2026.
• Go through your establishment's continuing education budget: in 2026, the UNAIBODE provided a training agreement, and it is Qualiopi-certified for training activities.
• Choose your debate conferences early: in 2026, places were allocated in order of arrival, subject to availability.
• Book accommodation in the city centre: according to Montpellier Events, there is a wide choice of hotels near the Corum, and the tram serves the congress centre directly.

Policy & CSR initiatives

Neither the 2027 edition website nor the UNAIBODE's own site presents a CSR approach specific to the congress, and no ISO 20121 certification of the event is displayed.

The documented commitment sits at venue level. Montpellier Events, operator of the Corum, states that it is ISO 20121 certified. On its CSR page, the operator announces electricity that is 100% green, a switch to LED lighting across its sites, sorting of food waste, cardboard and cartridges, sustainability criteria in its tenders and a policy of welcoming people with disabilities.

The environmental question also appears in the congress content: in 2026, a debate conference covered the SPFDM and Europharmat recommendations on eco-responsibility. This is a programme theme, not a commitment by the organiser.

How the trade show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

The JNEP is a travelling congress: each edition changes region and relies on the regional association that hosts it. Since 2022, the congress has been held in Reims, at the Centre des congrès de Reims, then in Tours, Clermont-Ferrand, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Brest, and moves to Montpellier in 2027. The calendar is stable: two days, a Thursday and a Friday, between mid-May and early June.

The health crisis left a mark on the numbering. The 37th JNEP, planned in Tours, were rescheduled to May 2021, then could not take place; they finally took place in Reims in 2022, and Tours hosted the congress the following year.

No audited edition figures are published, either for attendees or for exhibitors. For a manufacturer, the range of 800 to 1,100 professionals given by the organiser in 2025 remains the only audience benchmark. The venue for the 2028 edition had not been announced at the time of writing.

All data that does not state its source comes from the organiser's website.

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (jnep2027.fr).