untitled

A34 / 76

Page A34 JUNE 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
ICCFA Convention in the
Music City
• 28 percent representing stand-alone funeral homes
• 3 percent representing stand-alone pet loss providers
• 1 percent representing crematory operations
• 16 percent “other,” including insurance agents,
mortuary school faculty, representatives of industry
associations and others
• Exhibitor and supplier registrations: 998
• Attendees classified their positions as follows:
• Owners: 45 percent
• Managers: 40 percent
• Staff: 15 percent
• Final purchasing authority: 59 percent
• Make purchasing recommendations: 34 percent
• No purchasing authority: 7 percent
The convention hosted 105 international attendees
representing 13 countries outside of the United States.
The event was highly rated by attendees, with 93 percent
indicating their overall convention experience was “excellent”
or “very good,” and 87 percent indicating they “definitely” or
“probably” will attend the ICCFA 2018 Convention.
Among the comments:
• “Attending for the first time has been a transformational
experience! The opportunity for networking, education
and collaboration can’t be matched by any other gath-
ering in our industry. Inclusive and exclusive!!!” Chris
Cooke, Evansville City Cemeteries, Evansville, IN
POST C ONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS
Batesville Sponsors Keynote Seth Mattison and Hosts Book Signing at ICCFA
BATESVILLE,IN— Batesville, the leading provider of high
quality products and profit-enhancing solutions to today’s
death care professionals, was proud to partner with the Inter-
national Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association in wel-
coming noted author and speaker Seth Mattison to the stage
at the Annual Convention in
Nashville.
A self-proclaimed Millen-
nial, Mattison’s books and re-
search offer valuable insights
that can be used by people of
all ages to bridge generation-
al gaps, become more pro-
ductive and achieve greater
organizational success. His
keynote address, “Relation-
ship Revolution: Building
Better Connections in the
Digital Age” explored 5 key
insights to empower funeral
professionals to build better,
stronger, more authentic relationships in the new world.
“Funeral service was built on human engagement and per-
sonal interaction,” said Troy Turner, chief marketing and in-
formation officer at Batesville. “Even in today’s hyper-digital
world, people crave social interaction and relationships.” In
fact, one of the things Batesville consistently sees in its re-
search is how much families value the compassion shown by
funeral professionals following a loved one’s death.
Mattison believes it’s important to reach beyond the digi-
tal world and make a physical connection. He explains that
by balancing the time and energy we spend in the physical
and virtual space, we can create deeper and more meaning-
ful connections.
Batesville also hosted a book signing in its booth, and the
first 100 people will receive a free autographed copy of Mat-
tison’s latest book, TheWar at Work.
“As one of our company’s core values, we view learning as
the way to achieve the full potential of each individual,” said
Turner. “We were excited to have someone with Seth Matti-
son’s credentials offer a fresh perspective on how we can con-
tinue to build meaningful relationships with families.”
Visitors to Batesville’s booth had the opportunity to see a
variety of new burial, cremation, technology, and other per-
formance-enhancing solutions, including digital and physi-
cal merchandising systems for the funeral home.
Batesville ), a wholly-owned sub-
sidiary of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE:HI), is the leader in
Mattison shared how to balance the virtual and physical worlds to create stronger connections
Seth Mattison
the North American death care industry, offering a com-
prehensive portfolio of Burial Solutions, Cremation Op-
tions, Memorial Solutions and Technology Solutions.
For more than 125 years, Batesville has been dedicated to
helping families honor the lives of those they love®. Bates-
ville’s innovation has changed the face of funeral service,
from advancements in manufacturing and quality to pat-
ented features and memorialization offerings, technology
and web-based solutions, and profit-enhancing merchan-
dising systems. Our history of manufacturing excellence,
product innovation, superior customer service and reli-
able delivery has helped Batesville become – and remain
– a market leader.
Seth Mattison is an internationally renowned expert on
workforce trends and generational dynamics. As Founder and
Chief Movement Officer of FutureSight Labs, Seth advises
many of the world’s leading brand and organizations on the
key shifts happening around talent management, change and
innovation, leadership, and the future of work. His ideas have
been featured in such publications as the Wall Street Journal,
The Huffington Post and The Globe. He was named one of the
“Editors’ Picks for Favorite Speakers for 2013” by Meeting-
sNet and has been called one of the most dynamic young
speakers on the circuit today.
Exhibit Hall Photos by Elizabeth Roberts, Roberts & Downey Chapel Equipment, Argenta, IL