Fall Management Conference: You Owe It to Your Company and Yourself

Pawliw-Fry

The ICCFA Fall Management Conference, September 21-23 in Naples, Florida, will bring together hundreds of our profession's most influential executives—powerbrokers whose everyday decisions affect the future not only of their own businesses but of our entire profession—for an interactive program that will help you become a more effective, informed leader.

Our keynote speaker, J.P. Pawliw-Fry, is an instructor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and is at the forefront of the field of executive emotional intelligence, an essential quality for successful leadership within our profession. In a one-hour keynote followed by a two-hour interactive workshop, he will share ways to raise your emotional intelligence quotient and thus your abilities to engage staff and serve families.

New this year will be our Café Collectives. Without a doubt, the most skilled, experienced and knowledgeable people at the conference are those seated in the audience. For one afternoon, we will break into groups to examine the three most challenging issues facing us as cemetery and funeral home owners and managers as identified in a recent survey:

• presenting the cremation value proposition
• marketing to the Baby Boomer generation
• providing leadership in times of change

The result will be a facilitated, collaborative conversation that will allow you to take advantage of the collective wisdom and experience in the room. Come share your problems as well as your solutions and best practices.

Also new this year, our Government & Legal Affairs Breakfast will offer another opportunity to learn from each other as we discuss not only the federal issues facing our profession but also the legal and legislative initiatives underway in our states. If you have an issue you would like to share during the breakfast, please make a note of it in the appropriate spot on your registration form.

Set at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort in beautiful Naples, Florida, the Fall Management Conference offers you a mini-retreat, allowing you to step away from the pressures of your daily responsibilities and enjoy a rare opportunity to focus on yourself and your ability to successfully lead your organization. This year's streamlined format offers nine hours of educational programming as well as several excellent opportunities to network (including our annual Fall Management Golf Tournament), yet it requires less than three full days away from your home and office. Best of all, our reduced room rate for this event is an incredible $179 per night.

Make the time. Take the time. You owe it to your company, to your staff and to the families you serve. Most of all, you owe it to yourself.

Full program and registration information is now available at www.iccfa.com.

ICCFA University: 21st Century Funeral Services College Sold Out; Hotel Block Sold Out—Other Options Available

A record crowd has already registered to attend ICCFA University, July 22-27, at the Fogelman Executive Center at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. The College of 21st Century Funeral Services has sold out, and several other colleges are near capacity. In addition, our room blocks at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis and the Fogelman Conference Center Hotel have sold out. Lodging is still available on campus and at several nearby hotels:

For lodging on campus in one of the University of Memphis dormitories, please contact Karen Gray directly at 1.800.645.7700.

Embassy Suites Memphis
1022 S. Shady Grove Rd. (approximately 5 miles from campus)
901.684.1777

Holiday Inn Express
1180 Union Ave. (approximately 5 miles from campus)
901.276.1175
Note: If a sufficient number of attendees stay at this Holiday Inn, the hotel will run a complimentary shuttle to and from the Fogelman Conference Center in the morning and evening.

Hampton Inn Memphis
I-240 at Thousand Oaks (approximately 5 miles from campus)
2700 Perkins Rd. South
901.367.1234

Each year, the University is rated as the best educational and networking opportunity available. Students are welcome to come for one or two years, but most continue on through four years to become ICCFAU "graduates." From front-line maintenance workers, counselors and funeral directors through top executives and owners, the program offers something for everyone. Find out for yourself what draws our students back year after year. Funeral directors can earn up to 24.5 CE credits, pending state approvals.

Again, the College of 21st Century Funeral Services has sold out. Several other colleges are near capacity. Please register today to reserve your spot. The complete program, registration materials and online registration can be found at www.iccfa.com.

ICCFAU 'Cryptones' Concert to Benefit Memphis Flood Relief Efforts

The ICCFA's own Cryptones will bring their blues-based rock sound to ICCFA University on Monday, July 25, at the Holiday Inn at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee.

The concert will be free to all ICCFAU students; a collection box will be available for voluntary donations to the United Way of the Mid-South. Cash or checks will be accepted; checks should be made out to United Way of the Mid-South and should denote "Disaster Recovery Fund" in the memo.

The Cryptones was formed at the ICCFAU in 2005 by former Chancellor Mike Burke and ICCFA Past President Mark Krause, CFuE, and has performed at the ICCFA Wide World of Sales Conference and at the ICCFA Annual Convention. In addition to Burke and Krause, band members include ICCFAU professors Dick Perl and Doug Gober as well as Gober's wife, Vicki Amato.

For more information on the United Way of the Mid-South and its disaster relief efforts, visit http://news.uwmidsouth.org/donations-for-flood-relief-2011/.

Certified Pet Loss Professionals Training Program

The Pet Loss Professionals Alliance will offer its inaugural session of the Certified Pet Loss Professional (CPLP) training program October 2-4, 2011, in Forth Worth, Texas.

The training is geared toward those who wish to increase their companies' professionalism and expand their pet loss businesses and is a requirement for achieving the Pet Loss Professional Alliance's newly created CPLP designation. Applications for the CPLP designation will be available later this summer. Sessions include:

• Becoming the Best at What You Do, Joe Dwyer
• Achieving Personal and Professional Success, Rena Tarbet
• Grief Management: Helping Families Deal with the Loss of a Pet, Claire Chew
• Operating a Pet Loss Business: Best Practices, Dewayne Cain and Marty Dumas
• Best Practices for Pet Cemeteries, Bill Remkus
• Providing Pet Funeral Services: The First Call and Beyond, Kate Moore, CFSP, and Terry Branson, CFSP
• The Devil is in the Details: Customer Loyalty is Not Built from 30,000 Feet, Doug Gober
• Increase Your Sales Using Social Media, Zachary Garbow
• Unraveling the Mysteries of Marketing, Coleen Ellis
• Improving the Efficiency of Your Pet Crematory, Jon Remkus and Ron Salvatore

Your registration fee for this course includes:

• Two full days of training
• Numerous opportunities to network and share ideas with colleagues and suppliers
• Bus transportation, admission, dinner, line dancing and a photo opportunity at Monday night's Kickoff Party at Billy Bob's, the world's largest honky tonk
• Two morning coffee breaks
• Two lunches
• Afternoon refreshment breaks
• Happy hour

A full schedule and registration information is available at www.myplpa.com. Cost is $389. Registration will be limited to the first 60 applicants, so register early. The PLPA has secured a discount room rate of $139 per night at the Embassy Suites Fort Worth—Downtown. To reserve your room, call 817.332.6900 and indicate that you are with the ICCFA conference.

Thank you to our Corporate Partners: A Keepsake Company, Let Your Love Grow, Memory Vessels, Monarch Resources, Paradise Pictures and Terrybear Urns & Memorials. Suppliers interested in sponsorship should contact ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700 or via e-mail at hq@iccfa.com.

ALSO BEING OFFERED:
Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certification Program
October 6-8 • Presented by Coleen Ellis

Understand the basics of the grief process through the companioning skills needed for a mourning heart, and of self-care needed for this emotionally charged role. Attendees will hear firsthand this informative material, complete with stories of pet loss experiences to aid in the learning process.

Registration for this program is separate and can be made through Two Hearts Pet Loss Center. For more information and to register, visit www.twoheartspetlosscenter.com.

Crematory Operator Certification Programs

The ICCFA is offering its one-day Crematory Operator Certification programs on Saturday, July 23, in Memphis, TN, and Wednesday, October 5, in Fort Worth, TX.

July 23 in Memphis, TN, held in conjunction with ICCFA University
Registration for those who wish to attend only the Crematory Operator Training/Certification on includes:

• Admission to the Friday night University Reception and Dinner
• The all-day crematory operator training and certification on Saturday
• Breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks on Saturday

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Cost is $429. You may register online or download and complete the One-Day Crematory Operator registration form.

LODGING
If you require housing, please contact the Memphis Doubletree (approx. 1 mile from campus) at 901.767.6666 or call ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700 for on-campus dormitory options.

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October 5 in Fort Worth, TX, held after CPLP Training Program
Presented by ICCFA cremation coaches Julie Burn, CCrE, CSE; Poul Lemasters, Esq.; and Larry Stuart Jr. in concert with Crematory Manufacturing & Service Inc.

The extensive training curriculum includes:

• professional terminology
• incinerator terminology
• principles of combustion
• cremation and the environment
• incinerator criteria and design
• basics of operating cremation equipment
• general maintenance and troubleshooting
• forms and record keeping
• handling and exposure control

All attendees will receive a comprehensive Operations Manual covering all aspects of crematory operation and maintenance.

Attendees are invited to join CPLP participants for the 40 on 40 event on Tuesday evening (a ticket must be purchased).

REGISTRATION
Cost is $369. You may register online by choosing to attend just the Crematory Operator Training on October 5 or by attending both the CPLP and Crematory Operator Certification programs (save $50 by attending both!). You may also download a registration form.

LODGING
For those attending the PLPA and Crematory Operator Program, they can extend their stay at the Embassy Suites for Tuesday night, October 4, for a rate of $169 (Tuesday night rate).

For those attending the COCP only, a discounted rate of $129 is being offered for the night of Tuesday, October 4, at The Holiday Inn Express* (a sister property). There is a complimentary shuttle between the two hotels. The Holiday Inn is approximately one mile from the Embassy Suites.

*Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Forth Worth Downtown
1111 W. Lancaster Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 1-817-698-9595
www.holidayinnexpressfw.com

Please contact Julie Burn if you have any questions at julieb@iccfa.com.

Member Satisfaction Survey: Final Days to Respond

The ICCFA wants to hear from YOU! The leadership is undertaking a strategic review of the association's activities and are asking for your help to ensure we are meeting your needs.

Please take a few minutes to complete the 2011 Member Satisfaction Survey. The survey was sent on June 2 via e-mail to all members for whom we have an e-mail address in our database. Corporate members and members for which we do not have an e-mail address were mailed a hard copy of the survey the week of June 6. Your candid responses will help us set the association's priorities in the coming years so we can continue to improve on our services to you and to the cemetery, cremation and funeral service profession as a whole.

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding your membership, feel free to contact us at 1.800.645.7700 or hq@iccfa.com.

Thank you for your membership in the association and for your assistance with this important initiative.

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