The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) will co-host the third-annual Asia Funeral Expo & Conference (AFE) at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, May 13-15, 2010. AFE will help funeral professionals from around the world share their customs, culture and information with their professional peers, discuss the common challenges of serving an increasingly diverse population, and discover ways to help make every funeral and memorial service what each grieving family needs, regardless of their traditions or where they call home.
The AFE conference is an opportunity for globally-minded funeral professionals to garner a fresh perspective from the world?s leading funeral service experts on serving families and building a successful business. Workshops and seminars will address many important issues, such as: funeral service customs and practices from around the world; embalming and cosmetology; professionalism in funeral service; repatriation; differentiating service offerings to stay a step ahead of the competition; effective communication with multicultural families; cemetery management and operations; and global trends, including cremation and green funerals.
The conference will also allow funeral professionals to network and build relationships with funeral professionals from around the world. The 2009 AFE drew 2,000 funeral professionals, representing 46 countries, regions and territories, from Albania to Zimbabwe.
NFDA?s 2010 AFE exhibition will also provide a global showcase of funerary products and services, including: caskets and urns made from a variety of materials; tombstones, monuments and other gravemarkers; equipment and machinery used in cemetery, mortuary and crematory operations; keepsake and memorial products; experts who can assist attendees with computer- and Internet-based technologies; advance funeral planning solutions; repatriation sources; and many other business-building ideas ? particularly important given the state of today?s global economy.
More than 200 companies on several continents have already agreed to participate in the 2010 AFE exhibition, with more making commitments every day. A few of the companies that have already committed to exhibit at AFE 2010 include: The Dodge Company (U.S.A.), Crematory Manufacturing and Service (U.S.A.); Facultatieve Technologies and Hygeco International (The Netherlands; France); IFZW (Germany); L&C Groups Corp. (U.S.A.); NCE Crawford Emcotec (U.S.A.); Lifemark (U.S.A.); and H.R. Heincke (Germany).
Said NFDA Director of International Relations Deborah Andres: ?Our world is growing smaller, creating a melting pot of families with different customs, traditions and rituals, and the familiar ways of serving families don?t always work now. In order to keep their doors open for generations to come, funeral directors need to prepare to serve every family that walks through their doors, regardless of their cultural or religious background. Global forums, such as AFE, allow funeral directors around the world to come together and learn from one another, and to collaboratively find ways to improve the service they provide to grieving families.?
The registration fee is US$600 for NFDA members or US$725 for funeral professionals who are not members of the association. NFDA members registering before March 31 can register at the discounted price of US$450; those who don?t belong to NFDA can register for US$600.
More information about AFE, including details on how to register, can be found www.nfda.org/afe. Andres is also available to answer questions or assist with registration; she can be reached at 800-228-6332 (+1-262-789-1880) or dandres@nfda.org.
World of Travel, the official travel agency of AFE, has coordinated three pre-conference tours that will enable attendees to explore the culture and history of Hong Kong and China. For more information about the tours or to make travel arrangements, contact World of Travel at 800-548-5670, ext. 255, or email laurie@worldoftravel.com.
