TORCH Conference a Continued Success

photo by Ken Lund via PhotoRee

PolicyStat recently attended the TORCH (Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals) Annual Conference. The three-day conference was held in Dallas from April 6-8. A well-attended and diverse event, the exhibition area was 100% sold out with some vendors celebrating 20 consecutive years as an exhibitor.

This conference was designed for rural hospitals and healthcare providers’ continuing education and focused on the various changes and challenges facing rural hospitals, especially at the state and federal level. Topics ranged from cost-cutting to quality to Accountable Care Organizations.

Although the content presented was both informative and relevant, what impressed us most was the association’s genuine care for making sure the exhibitors got as much out of it as the healthcare attendees. Not only were we encouraged to attend all of the conference presentations, contribute to the roundtable discussions and be part of the very fabric of the event, but also the networking sessions, breaks and meals were all hosted in the exhibit hall. This made it very easy to interact with the attendees in an informal way.

TORCH has it right when it comes to hosting a conference. They know that without happy and satisfied exhibitors helping to subsidize the expenses associated with hosting a classy event, the conference would be just like every other, diminishing the value perceived by both exhibitors and participants.