Douch Family to host SIFH conference this June
The conference will serve as a springboard for an exchange of ideas and best practices within the funeral industry, as well as provide a range of sessions and panel discussions
The Dorset-based Douch Family Funeral Directors will be hosting the Selected Independent Funeral Homes (SIFH) European summer conference in Christchurch at Captain’s Club Hotel between 8 and 11 June.
Industry delegates will be attending from the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and from all over the UK for unique networking opportunities that foster collaborations across borders.
The conference will serve as a springboard for an exchange of ideas and best practices within the funeral industry, as well as provide a range of sessions and panel discussions.
In addition, the president of SIFH, W. Byron Calhoun of Calhoun Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Cleveland, Ohio, will also be in attendance.
Nick Douch, managing director of Douch Family Funeral Directors and a former European chairman of SIFH, said: “We are honoured to be hosting this year’s conference. SIFH has a rich history spanning more than 100 years, and while it started in the US, it is now an international organisation.
“Member businesses are all family-owned and it really is fascinating to talk to funeral directors from other countries to learn and share new trends, best practices, and innovative approaches that shape our industry.”
He added: “Different cultures approach death in slightly different ways and the more we learn from others, the better we can be. One of the unique features of the conference will be a tribute to the Caribbean heritage of our family.”
Douch Family Funeral Directors has seven branches in Wimborne, Ferndown, Parkstone, Corfe Mullen, Blandford, Wareham and Swanage.