AUSTIN, TEXAS, JUNE 23, 2015 – The International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR), the world’s leading professional association dedicated to making independent funeral homes exceptional, recently announced its next Regional Workshop will be hosted at The Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Sciences on August 7. The workshop titled “Fresh Approaches to Funeral & Memorial Services” will feature four distinct sessions on generating revenue from nontraditional sources.
Mark Allen, OGR’s Executive Director, believes this workshop will provide OGR members and other funeral service professionals with practical tools to address consumer needs. He comments, “As nontraditional services gain popularity, families are sidestepping the funeral director. This workshop is meant to help funeral directors develop a plan to regain those customers and attract families that may no longer see them as an essential part of funeral and memorialization process.”
Workshop attendees will learn to increase revenue from cremation customers, offer services to families interested in home funerals and green burials, and utilize their planning expertise to attract families who are choosing to go to hotels and other venues for memorialization services. Learning facilitators will include Lacy Robinson, a professional speaker and funeral director; Kristin Hauman, a funeral director and burial coordinator for Penn Forest Natural Burial Park; and Holly Muchnok, an event planner for East Wing Events.
Attendees have the option to tour Phipps Conservatory, one of the nation’s largest Victorian greenhouses, an example for an off-site memorial service. A representative from Phipps will explain how funeral directors can work with families to set up an event there and at similar off-site locations.
The OGR Regional Workshop series is available to members and non-members alike. Registration is now open and can be completed at www.ogr.org/regional-workshops. Attendees will receive 6 CEs in states where approved.
About OGR
Founded in 1928, OGR is affiliated with independent funeral homes throughout North America and overseas that share common goals of exemplary service, uncompromising care and compassion to families in their time of need. For more information, visit www.ogr.org.
