At top: Michael Schimmel, the founder and CEO of Sympathy Brands, teamed up with Thomas Parmalee, founder of FuneralVision.com, to make Funeral IQ a reality.
Scores of funeral professionals from throughout the country attended Funeral IQ at the Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 20.
The event was hosted by FuneralVision.com and Sympathy Brands, which operates an extensive family of brands that reach people navigating end-of-life matters, including shiva.com, cemetery.com and eCondelence.com.
After checking in to the hotel, attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour with fellow attendees, which was sponsored by Ring Ring Marketing and The Foresight Companies.
Thomas Parmalee, founder of FuneralVision.com, said he was pleased to see the cocktail hour so well attended.
“We had a packed room, and people continued to network for almost an hour after the cocktail hour officially ended,” he said. “That was so great to see.”
Michael Schimmel, the founder and CEO of Sympathy Brands, expressed his appreciation to all the attendees, speakers and sponsors of the event. “‘Sympathy Brands, along with our partner FuneralVision.com, were excited to bring our vision of Funeral IQ to life, with the hopes that it would be impactful for all who attended and participated,” he said. “After conversing with attendees, we are pleased to hear that they enjoyed the event, learned a lot, and are walking away with tangible ideas to implement at their organizations.”
Funeral IQ officially kicked off the following day with these speakers:
- Dr. Amy Schiffman, a chief medical officer and the host of “Mastering Medicare,” delivered a presentation titled, “Bridging Hospice and End of Life,” which explored how funeral directors can better partner with hospice care agencies and caregivers.
- Alfred White, managing director of marketing at Carriage Services, focused on how to “Boost Your Preneed to At-need Ratio in 12 Months.”
- Welton Hong, the founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing, delivered a session titled “Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Digital Marketing Amid Low Death Rates,” where he explored how firms are boosting market share even amid the “pull-forward effect” of the pandemic, which has slashed the death rate.
- Chris Cruger, CEO of The Foresight Companies, delivered a presentation titled “Consumer Snapshot: Attitudes and Behaviors that Define Your Future.” Relying on insights from a comprehensive study, he revealed how firms can better serve the changing wants and needs of families.
- Michael Schimmel, the founder and CEO of Sympathy Brands, delivered a session titled “Meeting People Where They Are: Using the Right Resources at the Right Time,” which provided actionable insights on how to recognize opportunities to serve families through technology and ways to evaluate technology for your use in serving families.
Attendees also heard from Kevin McKay, manager of the cremation division at Cremation Recycling, who delivered an informative presentation on how the recycling business works – and what to look for in a provider.
They also heard from Ineke van Waardenburg, the chief operating officer of Better Place Forests, who shared how the company is providing meaningful, nature-based end-of-life options – and how it is working with a growing network of funeral homes.
The day capped with a short group activity and a recap of insights and lessons learned.
“For Sympathy Brands and FuneralVision.com to team up on a brand-new event and get such incredible support from the supplier community was something special,” Parmalee said. “They took a risk in backing a couple of guys doing something new, and I hope they walked away happy with the experience.”
The sponsors are listed below.
Platinum Sponsors:
Ring Ring Marketing
The Foresight Companies
Gold Sponsors
FundaFamily.com
Cremation Recycling
Better Place Forests
Carriage Services
Nomis Publications
Silver Sponsors
Legacy.com
Precoa
Big Sky Capital Partners
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