Call For Presentations

In preparation for the ICCFA 2010 Convention & Exposition, March 10-13 at the San Antonio Convention Center, the Convention Planning Committee has issued a call for presentations.

Take the Next Step! ICCFA members and Convention attendees are known as an entrepreneurial group who are willing to share their knowledge and best practices for the good of the industry. If you have expertise in a particular area of the cemetery, cremation and funeral service industry, this is your opportunity to give back.

This year, we are introducing a new concept in educational programming. Because too often a single workshop merely scratches the surface, in 2010 we’ll focus on issues critical to our attendees’ businesses and drill deeply into each. Among the topics we are most interested in are event planning, pet loss services and marketing, technology, green funerals and burial, and ways to enhance a company's "edge" in the local market.

The 2010 program will also include a variety of additional topics such as sales and marketing, embalming, cremation services, and a full range of business management issues, so if you think you have something valuable to share, please be sure to submit a proposal.

Proposals are due to ICCFA by August 15. Guidelines are as follows:

1. Include your name, title, company name, address, phone, fax and e-mail.

2. Include a description of your session (approximately 100 words). Session descriptions should name at least two or three specific skills, techniques or ideas the attendee will take away from the session. We are most interested in sessions that share concrete, proven techniques and programs, as opposed to theory or opinion.

3. Include a brief bio regarding your experience and qualifications within the industry as well as any speaking experience you may have.

4. Include information on which areas of our profession are the intended audience, e.g., cemetery owners and managers, funeral home owners, funeral directors, sales managers, etc.

5. Let us know how long you anticipate your presentation will take. In addition to full-length sessions and workshops, we are interested in shorter presentations that can be combined to form panel sessions.

6. Indicate what types of audio/visual aids you will use, if any.

7. Include a list of anticipated handouts.

8. Note that we ask that speakers refrain from speaking about prices or other issues subject to antitrust legislation. In addition, we ask that speakers refrain from overt promotion of their own products/services.

We typically receive many more proposals than we can fit into the program. The committee has to choose among many excellent proposals, so please be sure to follow these guidelines and to clearly explain the value proposition for attendees (#2 above). Please submit your proposal by August 15 to Linda Budzinski at lindab@iccfa.com (preferred) or via fax to 703.391.8416. Questions? Call 1.800.645.7700.

Introducing a new concept in educational programming:

The 2009 ICCFA Convention & Exposition created a buzz heard across our profession. So for next year we're ... breaking the mold. Because too often a single workshop merely scratches the surface, in 2010 we'll focus on issues critical to your business and drill deeply into each.

Plan now to attend, March 10-13 at the San Antonio Convention Center. Brought to you by the organization that continues looking for ways to provide you with an educational experience you cannot find anywhere else.