Batesville, the leading provider of high quality products and profit-enhancing solutions to today’s death care professionals, is proud to sponsor Louisiana-native chef and restaurateur John Besh as one of the keynote speakers at the 2016 International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) Annual Convention and Exposition, April 13 – 16 in New Orleans.

For the last decade, Besh has served as the unofficial culinary ambassador for the Crescent City, through his restaurants as well as his efforts to help rebuild the community and preserve the food ways of the Louisiana bayou. He understands survival and believes today’s business leaders need passion to survive and thrive. His session, “Recipe for Success,” (Thursday, April 14, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.) will explore some of the keys to success in the challenging and competitive world of restaurateurs, and the importance of having a great team around you.

“Throughout modern history, food has played an important role in ceremonies and rituals, none more important than following a death,” said Troy Turner, chief marketing and information officer for Batesville. “It is a healing agent that brings comfort to families and friends as they come together in grief. We’re excited to learn more about John’s journey to success and his experiences in overcoming some of the challenges along the way.”

As a bonus to conference attendees, Batesville will host a book signing in its booth (#618) at noon on Thursday, April 14, with samples of some of John’s local recipes. The renowned chef, television personality, philanthropist, and author will be on hand to autograph copies of his latest cookbook, Besh Big Easy: 101 Home-Cooked New Orleans Recipes. The first 50 people will receive a free copy of the book compliments of Batesville; additional copies will be available for purchase at $25 each. Visitors will also be able to register for a $100 gift card to one of Besh’s fine dining establishments. Hourly drawings will begin at 1 p.m. on April 14.

“This is a period of great change in our industry,” explains Turner. “Despite the challenging conditions, we believe that by working closely with funeral professionals, we can create and deliver solutions that families value and that will create a path to greater profitability for the funeral home or cemetery.”

Batesville will demonstrate a variety of burial, cremation, technology, and merchandising solutions, including:

• New caskets and cremation urns
• Professional websites
• Meaningful Selections digital selection system
• Simple Benefits merchandising approach
• MIS Professional business management software