to see the Full Convention Brochure.

REGISTRATION
INFORMATION
IFDA 2016 Annual Convention
Tinley Park Convention Center
Tinley Park, IL
JUNE 27-29, 2016
www.ifda.org
Imagine
Yourself...
attending the IFDA’s Annual
Convention and connecting with
hundreds of funeral professionals
just like you.

You’ll find new perspectives to expand your thinking as
well as new ideas to take home and implement right
away.

Fresh ideas and new ways to do your job better as well
as new strategies to handle recurring challenges with
client families.

Collaborate with professionals in a variety of fields to
give you new insights and the opportunity to learn
from their successes and mistakes.
Keynote
Nationally recognized marketing
and branding expert has worked
on several billion dollar brands
and distilled that experience into
growth strategies you can
implement immediately.
Gerry O’Brion
Illinois Funeral Directors Association
2016 ANNUAL CONVENTION
Tinley Park Convention Center
18451 Convention Center Drive
Tinley Park, IL 60477
June 27—29, 2016
Why Attend
We believe that there are countless opportunities why
you should attend the Annual Convention, but we've
managed to narrow it down to five:
Learn new skills and upgrade current ones. No matter
how long you've been in the business or what position
you hold, chances are
there is still something
you need to
learn. Trends and law
change, new strategies
and innovations in
funeral care are happening all the time; to stay up-todate you need an educational opportunity that provides
you with the full range of funeral care knowledge.
Network with your peers. We know you've heard it all
before, but networking is a huge part of your
professional success. When you meet with your peers,
you have an opportunity to collaborate, hear new ideas,
and validate or change your perspectives. You may
hear what others are doing and be inspired to
implement something similar - or you could even hear
another idea and realize you're already on the right
track! You can find a mentor or become one, and even
make connections to help you further your own career.
Meet with new vendors and suppliers. Our exhibitors
are industry experts and solution-providers who truly
know what is happening in the funeral care world - and
they have answers to your
questions. Invest time in
the exposition hall - our
vendors are some of the
best people for you to get
to know if you want to learn more about what's
happening in the funeral profession right now - and
what's going to happen in the future. Trust us:
discovering innovative products and services is
necessary to stay competitive in today’s business
world.
Hear from the experts. Our speakers are proven
business leaders, strategists, practitioners and
peers. Many of them are current funeral care
professionals; others are well-respected industry
leaders who know what you need to know. Our
selection process for speakers is the industry standard ,
and we make sure that you're hearing from the
best. You'll get a solid grounding in tried-and-true
funeral care fundamentals and unique insight into the
innovative new practices that will change how the
funeral care professional does business.
Have fun. Let's be honest - the Annual Convention is a
lot of learning, networking and exploring of ideas
packed into a short amount of time, but most of all, it’s
fun!
REGISTER ONLINE BY May 31, 2016 FOR EARLY-BIRD RATES
WWW.IFDA.ORG
2016 Convention Agenda
To receive credit you will need to sign in and out of each session AND complete an evaluation. The evaluation will be
emailed to you upon the conclusion of the Convention. You will have a designated period of time to complete the
evaluations in order to receive the credit. More information will be provided about this process closer to the event.
IFDA KEYNOTE
Gerry O’Brion
Grow Any Business Like a Billion Dollar Brand
Attract Your Ideal Customers and Turn Them Into Vocal Advocates
To win in business today, it’s no longer sufficient to be faster or better at what
you’re already doing. The most successful companies are adept at navigating
change. Effective leaders create companies where every employee has clarity
about where they are going and why.
What Big Brands Know
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 | 8:00am—9:30am | 1.5 GECE
Gerry O’Brion
Gerry began his career
in marketing at Procter
& Gamble, working with
brands such as Crisco,
Tide, Mr. Clean, and
Spic & Span. Next, he
managed Coors Light,
became
VP
of
Marketing for Quiznos,
and
then
VP
of
Marketing for Red Robin
Gourmet
Burgers.
After
years
as
an
executive with billion
dollar brands, Gerry
now uses big company
strategies
to
grow
organizations of all sizes.
His strategies work in
any business regardless
of their budget.
Gerry O’Brion is a nationally recognized marketing and branding expert who has
worked on several billion dollar brands and distilled that experience into growth
strategies you can implement immediately, regardless of your budget.
His presentation is a fun, thought-provoking dialogue that will generate real
ideas you can use to ignite your growth. You will learn the four critical
questions your company should be asking to attract your ideal customers and
turn them into passionate fans. You will leave with an action plan to navigate
your company to long-term success.
This presentation is packed with strategies and case studies from several
different industries that you can leverage right now in your business.
What You’ll Get

Four steps to attracting your ideal
customers

Strategies for navigating disruptive
change

Creating passionate, vocal fans

How to be different when you seem
the same

Driving more word of mouth referrals
Who is this for?
This session is perfect for
those who want to attract
customers by creating
powerful differentiation
while navigating through
disruptive changes in their
industry.
DISCOUNT REGISTRATION RATES APPLY THROUGH May 31st.
ANSWERS
TO THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE
SPEAKERS
& PROGRAMS
In-depth sessions and more time for discussion and sharing.
Tuesday, June 28
9:45AM—11:45AM | 2 FD
The 4Ps to Avoid a Court of Law
Mike Nicodemus, NFDA Vice President,
Cremation Services
Cremation litigation is at an all-time high
and very costly, not to mention the
potential harm to your good name and
reputation. This session will explain how to
make your funeral home and crematory
operate at its maximum potential when
dealing with cremation. Learn best policies
and procedures to keep your company out
of a court of law. We will dissect various
lawsuits to see how an unintentional
mistake may end up costing you well into
the six figures.
Tuesday, June 28
1:00PM—1:50PM | 1 FD
IDFPR
Martha Reggi | Mark Rizzo | David Evans
Once again representatives from IDFPR will
join us for an informative session on recent
changes and a better understanding of the
licensing and disciplinary process. Items up
for discussion include: Who do you call
when you have a licensing question? Where
can you find the information that you need?
How do I verify my license now that you
don’t send it to me? Understanding of the
licensing and disciplinary process.
Tuesday, June 28
3:05PM—5:00PM | 2 EMB
Embalming and Reconstructive
Techniques for Professional
Embalmers Part 1
Vernie Fountain, CFSP
This session will provide a myriad of different
techniques that can be implemented to ensure
better preservation of human tissue and the repair
of minor to severe disfiguring or crushing facial
injuries. A number of actual cases will be presented
and discussed. The goal is to prepare the body for
viewing purposes. This will be an in-depth
presentation of how-to apply many advanced types
of techniques. The presentation will also discuss
the values of embalming and viewing by family and
friends of the deceased before final disposition
occurs. It will also discuss methods to better
promote these values to the public. It is a two-part
presentation.
No More Punching CE Forms!
IFDA has updated its CE process.
Simply sign in at the start of each
session and out at the end of the
session. After the Convention you will
be sent a link to evaluate the session.
Upon evaluating the session you will
receive your Certificate of Attendance.
CHECK OUT ALL THAT TINLEY PARK HAS TO OFFER—WWW.TINLEYPARK.ORG
IFDA SEMINARS
INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE
Wednesday, June 29
8:00AM—8:50AM | 1 FD
Memorialization Education for
Cremation Families and an NFDA
Update
Bob Arrington, CCO, NFDA President
”Knowledge is power!” Educating
ourselves and families on
memorialization options is one of the
single most important things we can do.
Hear some of the latest information
from NFDA on educating families about
memorialization and how it can
increase your bottom line. In addition
we will learn about the latest from
NFDA.
Wednesday, June 29
9:05AM—10:50AM | 2 FD
Cremation Wars—Price vs Profit
David Nixon
This presentation is designed to help
funeral directors/home owners better
understand cremation, its socioeconomic influence and resulting
impact on funeral operations. Learn
how to provide a basis to measure
cremation financially via case studies,
see how household income affects
cremation decisions and how funeral
homes with high cremation rates are
financially sustainable.
Thank You to our Event Sponsors*
*As of press time
Real world solutions for your
toughest challenges.
Wednesday, June 29
2:00PM—3:45PM | 2 EMB
Embalming and Reconstructive
Techniques for Professional
Embalmers—Part 2
Vernie Fountain, CFSP
A continuation of the session presented on Tuesday,
this session will delve further into the myriad of
techniques that can be implemented to ensure better
preservation of human tissue and the repair of minor
to severe disfiguring or crushing facial injuries. A
number of actual cases will be presented and
discussed. The goal is to prepare the body for
viewing purposes. This will be an in-depth
presentation of how-to apply many advanced
techniques. We will also discuss the values of
embalming and viewing by family and friends of the
deceased before final disposition occurs and methods
to better promote these values to the public.
Wednesday, June 29
4:00PM—5:00PM | 1 FD
Communication Skills
Mike Nicodemus, NFDA Vice
President, Cremation Services
Are you and your staff communicating
effectively with cremation families?
Are you looking to improve customer
satisfaction – and funeral home profitability? Do you
want to ensure that your employees are motivated
and ready to create a positive, profitable relationship
with cremation families. Help your staff develop the
essential communication skills needed to build
rapport and trust with cremation families, especially
during the arrangement conference. Learn how to:
 Help families understand the cremation process
and options
 Use the right words and phrases during a
cremation arrangement conference
 Avoid the top 10 customer service mistakes made
with cremation families
REGISTER AND PLAN YOUR TRIP TODAY!
NETWORKING
AT ITS BEST
POST CONVENTION
PROGRAM
Early Arrival Meet & Greet
Certified Crematory Operators Program
Monday, June 27 | 7:00PM—9:00PM
Tinley Park Convention Center Promenade
Be sure to join us on Monday evening for the Meet
& Greet! Whether you played in the Golf Outing or
traveled all day, enjoy a relaxing evening with
friends and colleagues. Join us as we gather for a
fantastic night of networking, snacks and beverages.
Thursday, June 30 | 8:00AM—4:00PM
President’s Party
Tuesday, June 28 | 7:00PM—10:00PM
Open to all full conference registrants and
exhibitors. Join us in celebrating newly installed
IFDA President Drew Edwards. This hors d’oeuvres
reception won’t leave you wanting anything more!
Be sure to wear your dancing shoes! We’ll be
dancing all night long to our favorite
80’s tunes courtesy of CFL Preneed.
Exhibit Floor Ribbon Cutting
Tuesday, June 28 | 5:00PM—7:00PM
Network with industry partners and learn about the
latest products and services offered by our
exhibitors while you earn CE credit. (You can only
receive credit for the exhibit floor one time.)
Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
Wednesday, June 29 | 11:00AM—2:00PM
Earn two hours of continuing education credit by
checking out the latest funeral related goods and
services on the exhibit floor. Enjoy lunch and the
chance to network with exhibitors as well as your
fellow funeral directors. (You can only receive credit
for the exhibit floor one time.)
Mike Nicodemus, NFDA Vice President, Cremation Services
Cremation litigation is on the rise. Protect
your firm through cremation due diligence
practices and provide your families with the
best cremation service possible.
This program offers a must-have
certification for everyone offering
cremation to the families they serve. Whether you
currently own or operate a crematory, are thinking of
opening one, or want to evaluate a third-party
crematory, this training is necessary for your success.
Mike Nicodemus is Vice President, Cremation Services,
NFDA. He is a licensed funeral director and former vice
president of cremation operations at Hollomon-Brown
Funeral Homes & Crematory (with 8 locations in
Tidewater, Virginia), where he worked for 34 years. Mike
is licensed to practice in the states of Virginia, North
Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
He is a graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary
Science and a member of the PIMS Board of Directors. He
served as President of the Cremation Association of North
America (CANA) from October 2011-August 2012, and was
Chair of the CANA Operators Certification Program for 7
years.
Mike has written articles for funeral industry trade
publications and frequently presents educational sessions
at national conferences, via distance learning, and as an
instructor for the NFDA Certified Crematory Operators
(CCO) Program.
REGISTER BEFORE May 31st AND SAVE $50!
ADVOCACY
AT ITS BEST
IFDA 3rd ANNUAL ADVOCACY PAC AUCTION
It may be tempting to look at the
relative ease with which you can
conduct business in Illinois and
assume that today’s marketplace
evolved naturally, that policy
makers had your interests in mind
all along. But that’s just not so.
Without your association’s efforts,
you’d be inundated in ridiculous
red tape and legal liability, and
your families would have to deal
with an even more complicated
process when dealing with a
death. Show your support for the
work the IFDA PAC does on your
behalf!

Items will be on display throughout the Convention, but
bidding will close at 4:00pm on Wednesday, June 29th.

Come prepared to bid on items!

Call Karl Kann (Legislative Committee Chair) if you have
items to donate—847--808--8444.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR HOW THE
FUNERAL CARE INDUSTRY IS REGULATED
ALL MONEY RAISED BENEFITS
THE IFDA ADVOCACY PAC.
LIABILITY/PHOTOGRAPHY WAIVER
By registering for the IFDA Convention, you agree and acknowledge that you are participating in
IFDA events and activities on your own free and intentional will. You acknowledge this freely and
knowingly and that you are, as a result, able to participate in IFDA Convention events and hereby
assume responsibility for your own well-being. This acknowledgement includes your guest(s)
participation in any tours and evening events.
The IFDA Convention plans to take photographs and video during the 2016 Convention and
reproduce them in IFDA educational, news or promotional materials, whether in print, electronic or other media,
including the IFDA website. By participating in the IFDA 2016 Convention, you grant IFDA to reserve the right to
use your name and photograph for such purposes. All postings are property of IFDA and may be displayed or used
by IFDA for any purpose.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Our registration fee structure allows you to pay one low fee to attend both days or any single day of the
Convention.
All licensees employed by an IFDA Member Funeral Home with paid 2016-2017 IFDA Membership Dues may register
for the Convention at member rates. Multi-day registration includes all social events and educational programs for
every day of the Convention. Single-day registration includes all educational programs and all social events offered
for the day in which you register unless otherwise stated.
Not an IFDA Member yet? Now’s the time to join! Members receive complementary Continuing Education Hours.
That means as a BENEFIT OF MEMBERSHIP at any IFDA sponsored Continuing Education Program including
conventions and seminars, the only cost to attend IFDA CE sponsored programs is a fee for the cost of food and
beverage. Join today by completing the online IFDA Membership Application and you can begin to enjoy the
benefits of membership for less than the cost of one multi-day nonmember convention registration.
REFUND POLICY
We know that funeral directors’ schedules can change suddenly. Therefore we offer a full refund provided IFDA
is notified in writing on or before the end of business (4:30pm) on June 24, 2016. NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN
PAST THAT DATE. Please email your cancellations to info@ifda.org or fax it to 217-525-8342. There’s no reason
not to take advantage of the Discounted Registration Rates! Register Today!
Please note—if you should need to cancel, it is your responsibility to cancel any room reservations you may have.
Be sure to check the hotel’s cancellation policy, it would differ from ours.
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
The Holiday Inn Tinley Park Convention Center Hotel, Tinley Park, IL is
our host hotel. It is connected to the Tinley Park Convention Center.
The group rate is $135 per night s/d, with a current hotel tax rate of
12%. To make reservations, call 708-444-1100 and reference the IL
Funeral Directors Association Convention or “ILF”. The reservation
cutoff deadline is June 5, 2016. After June 5th all guest rooms not
reserved are released for general sale. Reservations must be guaranteed
with a credit card.
Cancellations must be made no less than 72 hours before the
reservation begins if it begins on a weekend or 24 hours before if the
reservation begins on a weekday.
Plenty of free parking is available. Check-in is 3pm, check-out is 11am.
Tinley Park Convention Center & Holiday Inn Hotel
18451 Convention Center Dr. | Tinley Park, IL 60477
708-444-1100
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO
STAY AT THE HOST HOTEL
1. Keep your registration fees
low! The hotel p r ovides
complimentary meeting rooms
for IFDA if, and only if, we meet
the required minimum guest
rooms in our hotel contract.
2. Networking opportunities!
By staying at the host hotel,
you're at the epicenter for
everything IFDA.
3. Save your legs and gas!
If you're not staying at the host
hotel, you'll have to spend some
time and energy to come over
to the events. Why bother? Stay
at the center of it all.
ALL KINDS OF THINGS
TO SEE AND DO
A highly efficient way to meet vendors and check out equipment, products and services.
Take a walk through the hall and get a first look at new products and services. Explore the many
options available that will make you, your home and your programs more productive and give you
THE IFDA TRADESHOW
the leading edge.
Aftermath Services LLC
Live Oak Bank
American Coach Sales
McCutcheon Insurance
Artco Casket Company
Meadow Hill Co.
Astral Industries, Inc.
Messenger
Baines Professional Vehicles
Miller Architects & Builders
Baldauff Funeral Home
National Funeral Directors Association
Bass-Mollett Publishers, Inc.
Nixon Consulting Inc.
Batesville
Pekin Life Insurance Company
Carl Sandburg College
PFA Tax and Accounting Professionals
CFL Pre-Need
PHSI-Pure Water Technology
Chicago Cremation Supplies
Private Label Caskets
Church & Chapel Metal Arts, Inc.
Royal Coachworks, Inc.
Commemorative Rosaries
Saving Sight
Continental Casket Company
SCE Wealth Management
Cooperative Funeral Fund, Inc.
Security National Life Insurance Company
Cremation Systems Div. of Armil/CFS
Shanghai Custom Tailors
Dodge
Shiva Shade
Eagle Burial Vault
Signet Casket & Cultured Urn Creations
Eagle’s Wings Air
Skinner Copper &Ehmen
Federated Funeral Directors of America
SRS Computing
FFH design
State Auto Insurance Companies
Ford Acceptance Corp.
The Outlook Group
Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company (FDLIC)
To Remember
Funeral Service Credit Union
Trigard
Futura Funeral Trust
US Cremation Equipment
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network
Hanley Coach Sales
Hoffman Burial Supplies, Inc.
Homesteaders Life Company
*AS OF PRESS TIME
Illinois State Treasurer
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Illinois Wilbert Manufacturers
Preferred Providers
Inman Shipping Worldwide
Keith M Merrick Company, Inc.
Keystone Funeral Home Design Build
Lake Forest Casket, Inc.
LifeLegacy Foundation
Visit www.ifda.org for the latest list of vendors
IFDA’S
2016 Annual
Golf Tournament
DATE
Monday, June 27, 2016
TIME
12:00pm Registration
1:00pm Shotgun Start
COST
Join us for the Second Annual IFDA Golf
Outing.
No experience or partner
required! This best ball contest is a funfilled day of networking, golf and prizes
rolled into one.
Quickly becoming a
favorite among Convention attendees,
this event is a can’t miss. Register online at
www.ifda.org by June 3rd.
$145 includes greens
fees, golf cart, shirt and
pre-outing lunch
FORMAT
Best ball
LOCATION
Silverlake Country
Club—just minutes from
the Convention Center/
hotel
Golf Sponsorships Available
Consider sponsoring a golf hole, a contest
or even the beverage cart! It’s a great
way to create exposure and network with
attendees. You get lots of recognition
prior to, during and after the event. Make
sure your company is there!
Contact
mbealon@ifda.org for more info.