AOIC invited to take part in memorialisation conference

The AOIC has been invited to play a major role in a national spring conference.

The 2018 ‘Remember Me. The Changing Face of Memorialisation’ conference is being staged in Hull from April 4 to April 7 – having been extended due to the exceptional demand and interest.

Launching with an opening plenary lecture, it is being hosted in Hull to explore themes relating to memorialisation.

Topics covered are wide-ranging, from the emotional and behavioural aspects of memorialising practices to religious, spiritual and secular meanings in death.

All the topics to be discussed are aligned to the research that has been undertaken as part of the overall ‘Remember Me. The Changing Face of Memorialisation’ project. This project has united some of the most eminent professionals, in exploring the way British society approaches death and memorialisation.

With 130 members, the Association of Independent Celebrants, (AOIC) and its executive chair, Philip Spicksley and colleagues will be attending the conference.

Mr Spicksley will also chair one of the discussion groups during the event.

Mr Spicksley said the invitation was further evidence of how professional celebrants were now being recognised as a major force within the UK’s funeral industry.

“I am delighted to have been asked to play such a key role in this conference. It is an example of just how professional organisations, such as ours, are now able to play a positive part in helping to understand and therefore shape the way the whole industry is changing – along with people’s perceptions of our work,” said Mr Spicksley.