PRESS RELEASE
WHEELING, IL — More than many other professions, funeral service is a calling to serve families facing some of their most difficult days. Yet, the funeral profession faces an employment crisis as people change careers. Why? Eric Layer, author of The Right Way of Death, provides the keynote session at the Cremation Association of North America’s 2023 Cremation Symposium to help owners and managers restore the “spark” in the most important audience – their staff – this February 8-10 in Las Vegas!
Funeral service is better poised to answer employees’ need for meaning in their work than most others. Eric Layer argues that owners and managers are too focused on the “what” and the “how” of the funeral business. These business leaders often do our profession a disservice by overlooking the “why” people join this profession of overnight calls, in all weather, serving the grieving.
“To modern businesses,” says Layer, “sifting out those who are not committed to your cause is a matter of life and death. It’s worth taking the extra time to make sure you’re doing it right. And when you do, you’ll stop wasting time on guesswork about whether a person, partner, or project is a fit—because you’ll know who you are.”
At CANA’s 2023 Cremation Symposium, Layer will share experience gleaned as partner at McKee Wallwork + Co., an internationally recognized marketing advisory firm consulting for globally recognized funeral brands. In his keynote, The Right Way of Management, he will share research and strategies from inside and outside the funeral profession to help you find meaning and purpose for your people.
Layer is joined by these experts with ideas to reenergize your business purpose:
- Leili McMurrough of Worsham College will help you create a funeral home environment that welcomes and retains The Young and the Restless by taking an “employee-centered” perspective.
- Jason Widing of Foundation Partners Group will reveal new data to help you understand how to align your business’s culture with Online Deathcare: Evolving Consumer Expectations to succeed.
- Will de Michaelis and Tyler Yamasaki promise A Gentle Fireside Chat about adopting technology solutions to improve workforce and families’ satisfaction during their session: Efficiency or Die.
- Jonathan Lewis, president of consulting firm McKee Wallwork + Co., leads a discussion on how to understand the big picture of your company’s health during his Culture Compass workshop.
- Emerging Trends will spark debate on the changes to the FTC Funeral Rule, split licensure, and new forms of disposition moderated by CANA President and SCI AVP of Government and Industry Relations Caressa Hughes.
- …then, presenters will host Roundtable Conversations on their areas of expertise!
Plus, the Cremation Symposiums is known for leaving plenty of time for play. Hosted in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The LINQ Hotel + Experience is Symposium HQ with the conference just a few steps from both your room and the famous LINQ Promenade packed with restaurants, shopping, the High Roller, and zipline to keep you entertained.
Restore the “spark” in your business with Eric Layer! Join CANA for the 2023 Cremation Symposium February 8-10, 2023 at The LINQ Hotel + Experience in Las Vegas. Visit goCANA.org/CANAignite to see what else we have planned for the event and register to join other cremation business owners and managers from across the country.
About CANA
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,500 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.