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INDUSTRY NEWS Long-Term Assistance Needed: Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Eclipsing all other industry news, an examination of the hurricane and flood-ravaged areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama has revealed that the most extensive relief effort in U.S. history will have to be sustained for months. The ICFA has communicated with FEMA to offer assistance, and gradually the communications blackout is ending. Many people are not yet reachable and the ICFA is receiving information daily concerning the fate of many members' businesses and homes in the area. Firsthand accounts from several members can be found at www.icfa.org/hurricane_report.htm. Regular updates of conditions in the region can be found at www.icfa.org/hurricane_relief.htm. The ICFA is in the process of compiling specific requests from industry members for financial or other assistance. ICFA President Ray Frew, CCFE, has directed that the recently incorporated ICFA Educational Foundation should dedicate its first fundraising efforts to assisting those who have been affected by the disaster. For the time being, we recommend that members who want to provide financial assistance to the region do so through the American Red Cross and other established charities. A listing of such organizations can be found on the ICFA Web site. In addition, Stewart Enterprises has set up a fund specifically to assist its employees and their families in their recovery. For information on contributing to the fund, view the press release at www.icfa.org/pdf/stewart_release.doc. ICFA NEWS ICFA to Relocate 2006 Convention & Exposition The ICFA 2006 Annual Convention & Exposition had been scheduled to take place in mid-March in New Orleans, Louisiana. However, due to the flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has closed its Convention Center through March 31, 2006. At press time, the ICFA is researching alternative locations. The newly scheduled dates and locations will be posted as on the association's Web site as soon as this information becomes available. The 2006 Convention will offer the most varied and extensive content of any event in the cemetery and funeral service profession. Among the highlights:
ICFA Offers $220 Music License for 2006 (Limited Time Offer!) In 2005, the ICFA received exceptional support for its Music License Membership program. As a result, the association will achieve the next volume discount price break for 2006. The ICFA is passing on that discount to its licensees, who can acquire their Music License Membership for just $220 per location if they sign up on or before October 15, 2005. (After October 15, 2005, the rate will be $232 per location.) The Music License Membership fee covers music licensing with all three licensing agencies: BMI, ASCAP & SESAC, for the calendar year 2006. There are no added fees. Membership is open to any company in the cemetery and funeral service industry in the United States. Companies that held Music License Memberships in 2005 will be receiving invoices for renewal, including the "early bird" $220 offer, within the next week to 10 days. Companies that wish to purchase a new membership can do so by downloading the registration form at www.icfa.org/pdf/2006_music_registration.pdf. Or, both for renewals and new licensing, you can simply call the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700 and take care of your 2006 music license in just a few minutes. 2006 Wide World of Sales Program Now Online The complete program for the ICFA's Wide World of Sales Conference, January 12-13, 2006, at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada, is now posted online at www.icfa.org/sales06.htm. "Reality-Based Selling" is expected to draw more than 400 cemetery and funeral service sales managers, counselors, owners, suppliers and insurance agents for the most educational and entertaining preneed sales conference in the world. Registration to the conference includes admission to 20 "how to" educational sessions; two networking lunches and two continental breakfasts; a take-home binder filled with handouts and additional sales-boosting materials; a meet-and-greet session with "Survivor" star Rupert Boneham; an "American Idol" Welcome Reception and Karoake Party; and more. Registrants who sign up for the conference by September 30 receive the Early, Early Registration rate of just $385. Companies sending more than one attendee receive even greater discounts. For more information and to download a registration form, visit www.icfa.org/sales06.htm or call 1.800.645.7700. Last Call for Applications to ICFA Board of Directors Service on the ICFA Board of Directors offers members a chance to learn about and participate in the leadership of the association, and is a meaningful way to give back to the organization and to the cemetery and funeral service profession as a whole. The ICFA's Nominating and Elections Committee is currently inviting members to apply to run for the ICFA Board of Directors. The committee will narrow all applications received to 12 nominees, which will be reviewed and approved by the board at the ICFA Fall Management Conference in Maui, Hawaii, on October 19. Information on the 12 candidates will then be distributed to the membership, which will vote during the ICFA Annual Convention & Exposition in the spring of 2006. The top eight vote recipients will serve three-year terms. To apply, you must be a designated representative of a Regular (Cemetery, Funeral Home or Allied) Member in good standing or you must be an Individual Regular Member in good standing. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2005. Applications can be obtained by calling 1.800.645.7700 or by downloading the file at www.icfa.org/pdf/2006_icfa_board_application.doc. And more ... The ICFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds. The ICFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why. The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today! The ICFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today! Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICFA via an exclusive retainer agreement. ICFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600. The ICFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573. The ICFA Insurance Program, administered by Driver Alliant, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own. To advertise in the ICFA Wireless: The ICFA accepts limited advertising in the ICFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Quan Phan at qphan@icfa.org or 1.800.645.7700. To unsubscribe from the ICFA Wireless: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: wireless@icfa.org. Please include your name and company name in the body of the e-mail. International Cemetery and Funeral Association 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100 Sterling, VA 20164 1.800.645.7700 703.391.8400 Fax: 703.391.8416 www.icfa.org Copyright 2005 International Cemetery and Funeral Association. |
