KIA&B 2018 Vol. 23 No. 1 | Page 12

Rural & Small H 2018 HIGHLIGHTS eld in Hutchinson, Kan., in January, the three-day Rural & Small Agents Conference offered 12 continuing education credits, industry-leading speakers, lots of fun networking events, a trade show, prizes, and more. With more than 500 Kansas agents, brokers and company representatives in attendance, Rural & Small is the largest conference in the state of Kansas for independent agents. Geared towards all agents and industry gurus, the event is beneficial to any agency interested in high-quality educational classes and networking with industry partners. If you didn’t make it this Rural & Small, here are some of the highlights from the event, in hopes you will join us next year. Exhibitor Hall The conference gives company members the opportunity to grow their network and deepen relationships by meeting face-to-face with agents in a trade show setting. Networking opportunities started Tuesday evening and continued through Wednesday afternoon. Each year at the conference, the Exhibitor Hall offers a chance to form lasting business connections with more than 80 vendors. Young Agents Outing To finish the first day of the conference on a high note, the Young Agents of Kansas went out for socializing, prizes, food and fun. The evening began at the local City Beverage Brewery for a beer tasting and tour. After that, the group moved on to Oliver’s Beef & Brew for food and prizes. There were prize drawings throughout the outing and a grand prize TV was given away at the end of the night. (right) Lisa Shivers, having just won the grand prize TV, stands with Eric Schwarz from NSI/West Bend (who sponsored the Young Agents Outing). (below) Young agents gathered for a tour and group photo at the City Beverage Brewery. Plenty of traffic flowed at the Rural & Small exhibit hall. Company reps set up trade show booths to greet agents at the largest independent insurance conference Kansas has to offer. 10 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | January - February 2018 |