For Immediate Release: July 13, 2010


Brookfield, Wis. – Funeral professionals who attend the National Funeral Directors Association's (NFDA) International Convention & Expo will benefit from more than 40 engaging and interactive educational workshops and seminars led by the most knowledgeable, creative and resourceful minds in the profession. The convention features the widest variety of workshops anywhere, covering the issues that matter most: technical skills, cremation, business operations, profitability, green funerals, preneed, pet services, cemetery management and more. The NFDA Convention will be held October 10-13 in New Orleans, La.

Not-to-be-missed Workshops

October 10, "The Embalmer's Tool Kit," Frank Walton, Tidewater Community College: Embalmers are often tasked with restoring extremely difficult cases. During this session, attendees will discuss several embalming challenges and the chemical, sundry and simple household items that can be used to perform an expert job when time may be limited.

October 10, "Advance Cremation Arranging," William McQueen, Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home: Although they have the same needs as your burial customer, cremation customers think they are different. They don't want the traditional arrangements funeral directors have been using for generations to satisfy their burial clientele. Attendees will learn how to adjust their approach to arrangements to satisfy cremation customers. They will also gain insights and information about cremation customers that would ordinarily take decades to discover.

October 10, "American Attitudes Toward Funerals: 2010 FAMIC Study": It's been 15 years since the Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC) started tracking consumer attitudes toward memorialization and ritualization, and the 2010 study presents important discoveries. A panel of four funeral directors will present key findings about what families know about funeral service, with whom they prefer to plan, and generational shifts in expectations and satisfaction. Survey findings also address consumer attitudes toward cemeteries, cremation, preplanning and green funerals.

October 11, "Guerrilla Tactics to Boost Profits, Enhance Your Brand and Send Your Competition Running Scared," Dan Heaman, funeral home consultant: If attendees' firms are facing tougher competition or are in decline and in need of a turnaround, then they need creativity, flexibility and a willingness to change their approach, not only to win customers, but keep them forever. This workshop will teach funeral directors powerful and proven advertising, marketing and PR techniques to grab attention, win loyalty and help them succeed in their market.

October 12, "Conversation Café: Educating Today's Families on the True Meaning and Value of Funeral Service," H. Joseph Joachim IV, FuneralOne; Lajos Szabo, Schoedinger Funeral & Cremation Services; and William McQueen, Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home: "Conversation Cafés" allow participants to set the agenda and provide insights and advice to their colleagues. Funeral professionals must focus on giving client families what they want and need rather than what they think they want. In this session, explore some of the latest breakthrough solutions available to the profession and discuss funeral service's biggest challenge: educating families on the true meaning and value of funeral service.

An up-to-date workshop schedule can be obtained by visiting the NFDA Convention website, www.nfda.org/neworleans2010, and clicking on the "Education" link at the top of the page.

Preconvention Seminars
Before the convention officially gets under way, NFDA will offer three preconvention seminars on October 9:

"NFDA Certified Preplanning Consultant Seminar," Colleen Murphy Klein, NFDA; seminar, October 9 from 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; exam, October 10 from 8:30-10:45 a.m.: Promote exceptional professional and ethical standards in the field of advance funeral planning by becoming a Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC). In order to take part in this seminar, attendees must apply in advance and meet certain eligibility requirements. Upon acceptance, attendees will receive the CPC Standards Manual and will be responsible for studying the manual prior to the seminar and exam. Interested attendees should visit www.nfda.org/cpc or call 800-228-6332 for more information or to apply. Cost: $395 for NFDA members and $540 for non-members.

"Cremation Association of North America (CANA) Crematory Operators Certification Program," Rick Thomas and Steven Schaal, Matthews Cremation Division, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Understanding the intricacies of operating a crematory is not just for operators. With increased cremation-related litigation, owners and managers must understand procedures to ensure quality control and protect their firm. In addition to crematory operations, this certification program will explore cremation-related liability. Attendees will learn how the simplest mistake could end up costing their firm hundreds of thousands of dollars. For more information about this program, call Suanne Determan at CANA, 312-673-5754. Cost: $395 for NFDA and CANA members and $495 for non-members.

"Reconstructive Techniques for Facial Repair of Trauma," Vernie Fountain, Fountain National Academy, 1:30-5:30 p.m.: Designed for embalmers, this seminar will identify specific techniques that can be used during the restoration of disfiguring facial trauma. It will include techniques such as the removal of wrinkles; reduction of facial swelling and discoloration; hypo injection of facial tissue; sealing and wrapping to stop leakage; surgical treatment to stop purge; and more. This seminar will focus on techniques to achieve open-casket viewing of difficult or traumatized cases. Cost: $129 ($169 after September 1).

Information about preconvention seminars can be obtained by visiting the NFDA Convention website, www.nfda.org/neworleans2010, and clicking on the "Education" link at the top of the page.

Complete information about the 2010 NFDA International Convention & Expo can be obtained by visiting www.nfda.org/neworleans2010 or by calling the association at 800-228-6332.

Sponsors that have generously supported NFDA in 2010 are: American Airlines Cargo, Aurora Casket Company, Batesville Casket Company, Director's Select Retirement Plan, Doric, Federated Insurance, Funeral Call, Homesteaders Life, Hunter Warfield, JCPenney, Kodak, Louisiana Funeral Directors Association, Madelyn Company, Memorial Streams, Memories by Design, Messenger and Nomis.

NFDA is the world's leading funeral service association, serving 18,500 individual members who represent more than 9,900 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy Division office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

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Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536;  Emilee High, 262-814-1547

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