h thousands of chairs to hear the association brass welcome the 3500 funeral
directors to Boston. Next the stage is
taken over by the keynote speaker for the opening general session. The dynamite speaker used the experience of
his own father’s funeral to teach us what we need to do to truly meet families
needs in a world where the family demands more because or society is moving
toward more experienced based rituals where the family wants to share their view
of the deceased with those who are in
attendance so the memory of the lost family member lives on in the hearts of
others.
Finally we head into the massive exhibit hall to see what
the numerous suppliers to the funeral profession have to offer this year. Are there any truly new ideas present?
What do you see when you walk in to the convention hall.
Seemingly miles of carpeted walkways between hundreds of
booths, some filled with caskets made of metal, wood, and even biodegradable
materials such as molded paper and bamboo for “Green Burial.” Other booths are filled with hundreds of
cremation urns, may of them similar or even identical to another booth’s
offerings a little farther down the aisle.
Some companies have glitzy displays with huge video screens extolling
the virtues of the offerings, others have slick attractive models explaining or
“demonstrating” the products. No,
nobody lays in the caskets to try them out.
It’s always interesting to take note of the arena’s
custodial staff reactions – I’ve noticed janitorial staff looking at the
caskets, urns and funeral equipment on display with a look that suggests they
are curious and “creeped out” at the same time.
The most intriguing things at the show this year are in the
area of cremation urns, some made from the flower petals of the casket piece or
floral arrangements from the funeral or memorial, and others that feature
artistically inspired bronze sculptures.
Another area is funeral home management and website software
that promises to be the next great solution for the funeral home’s business
management. Some points are good, on
other points, they still have a way to go.
What were some of the more unusual things we saw at the
convention?
Embalming solution that is iodine based verses the standard
formaldehyde base.
Caskets woven from seagrass and bamboo
Caskets made from tread-plate aluminum
Glass and crystal figures made with the cremated remains of
a person embedded in the glass.
Paintings made with the cremated remains mixed into the
paint.
And companies that send out cards that claim to be sent by
the dear departed from heaven for the holidays.
4:30 PM
We are invited into another large hall for an awards ceremony. It honored funeral directors who had earned certification of continuing education, and 
funeral homes who had earned the Pursuit of Excellence Award. We were there as one of the Pursuit of Excellence winners. It began with an address by the football coach from Marshall University who rebuilt the football program after the entire team died in an airplane crash. The message was rebuilding and planning in the face of disaster and adversity. An inspiring presentation.
Following the address we joined the association president and the keynote speaker on stage to be presented with the Pursuit of Excellence Award.
