Steering committee created during FIAT/IFTA convention

The 10th International Convention, organized by the FIAT IFTA (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Thanatologues - International Fédération of Thanatologists Associations) took place in Barcelona, Spain from the 20th to 21st June 2008. This event enabled the main players of the funeral branch, including Facultatieve Technologies and Hygeco International, to get together during this exhibition and conference on the future changes in the funeral sector. During the convention FIAT/IFTA decided to set up a steering committee to investigate the possibility of founding a ‘Heritage Chapter’ to safeguard the legacy of the worldwide funerary branch. This committee aims to assess the potential for cooperation with UNESCO and different funerary museums across the globe. Various cemeteries and crematoria (such as the Westerveld Crematorium national monument in the Netherlands) have already been designated as sites of significant interest. The members of the steering committee include: Dr. Kerstin Gernig (director of the Kuratorium Deutsche Bestattungskultur), Henry Keizer (Chairman of Executive Board of 'the Facultatieve Group' and chairman of the Dutch Funerary Museum), Eduardo Vidal (CEO of Serveis Funeraris de Barcelona and chairman of Museu de Carrosses Fúnebres) and Dirk van Vuure (Secretary/Treasurer FIAT/IFTA).