STERLING, VA (May 4, 2017)—The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s Annual Convention & Exposition, April 5-8 in Nashville, Tennessee, drew 2,044 total attendees and 534 supplier booths. The convention also welcomed 297 first-time attendees.
The breakdown for the 2017 attendance numbers is as follows:
- Total cemetery, funeral home, crematory and allied business representatives: 723
- 25 percent representing combination cemetery/funeral home operations
- 27 percent representing stand-alone cemeteries
- 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 gathering in our industry. Inclusive and exclusive!!!” Chris Cooke, Evansville City Cemeteries, Evansville, IN
- “Attending this conference (gave) me a broader perspective on the industry as a whole.” Tim Deutsch, Orange County Cemetery District, Lake Forest, CA
- “ICCFA seems to find the best of the industry — thank you.” Carolyn Katz, Cooperative Funeral Fund, Madison, CT
More than 75 percent of exhibitors rated their overall exposition experience as favorable. Asked about their plans for the 2018 Convention & Exposition at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, 65 percent indicated they planned to exhibit.
Founded in 1887, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, cremation, funeral and memorialization profession. Its membership is composed of more than 9,100 rooftop locations and 20,000 professionals in the cemetery, funeral home and crematory industries, as well as supplier and related businesses worldwide.
