Join us this summer in Atlanta, Georgia!

Take your pet loss services to the next level with the 2025 PLPA Pet Loss & Integration Short Course! Join us July 18-20 at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, for an immersive program designed to help you integrate and enhance your offerings.

Register by July 9—spots are limited! Don’t wait—secure yours today!

Schedule of Events

*schedule is tentative and subject to change

  • 2:00–5:30 PM
    Registration & Check-in  
  • 4:30–5:00 PM  
    Orientation  
  • 5:00–6:00 PM
    University Reception  
  • 6:00–7:00 PM
    Dinner  

  • 8:00–8:45 AM
    Breakfast  
  • 8:45–9:00 AM  
    Short course introduction from Lauren Blevins Hogan, CCFE, CPLP  
  • 9:00–10:30 AM
    Establishing Relationships to Ensure Success: Developing a Pet Program – Andrew Parsell
  • Pet Parents. Someone who loves animals and has inherent bias that ties them to their own pets. As deathcare specialists, why are we not servicing the “Pet Parent?” With over 1.5 million pet cremations per year according to The Foresight Companies, we know the demand is here. This session will help attendees to identify their market needs, understand the foundation needed to create a pet program, and how to service and grow a pet program successfully. 
  • 10:30–11:00 AM 
    Break   
  • 11:00 am–12:30 PM
    “Legal Matters with Pet Burial and Cremation” – Looking at the Past to Understand the Future – Poul Lemasters, Esq.
    The pet funeral profession continues to grow. The big question is, what is pet deathcare growing into? No one can say for certain what the future will bring– but we can predict and try to be prepared. How do we predict? We look at the past. We look at the present. We compare other professions. We look for trends. By looking at all of this – we then can make predictions on where we may be heading. Why is this all important? With all the growth of pet funeral profession, there are also more and more risks. In our society, it is hard to provide more service without accepting more responsibility. The pet funeral profession has leaped into the 21st Century, but the practices and procedures lag. As a result of the growth, and lacking procedures, there is an increasing area of liability risk for everyone. If we do not prepare for the future, then we are doomed to repeat the past. This seminar analyzes past, present, and future issues that are changing and re-defining the liability issues for pet funeral providers. The focus is on “real” problems causing lawsuits and the prevention measures needed to prevent. 
  • 12:30–1:30 PM 
    Lunch 
  • 1:30–3:00 PM
    Embracing Pet Loss: Bringing Families Back – Tony Armogida
    Discover unique opportunities to guide families from pet cremation services to preplanning their own funerals. We’ll share strategies and tips for initiating conversations, reengaging your families, and transforming a moment of goodbye into a discussion on preplanning for their services. This session offers practical advice on bridging the gap between pet cremation services and funeral preplanning.
  • 3:00–3:30 PM
    Break 
  • 3:30–5:00 PM 
    Best Practices in Pet Loss Integration – Lauren Blevins Hogan, CCFE, CPLP,
    Figuring out which way to begin when starting a pet program can be difficult. Lauren will share some examples of do’s and do not’s from experience of starting a pet program with a funeral home as backbone. We will also discuss how running the successful pet program can have positive effects on your funeral home.
  • 5:00–6:00 PM
    Dinner 
  • 7:00–10:00 PM
    Student Night  

  • 8:00–8:55 AM
    Breakfast
  • 9:00–10:30 AM
    Pet Cremation 101: Tips, Tricks, and Operational Best Practices – Larry Stuart Jr.
    Get ready to level up your skills and learn how to run a pet cremation operation like a pro! This fun and engaging session will cover everything you need to know—from keeping your equipment in tip-top shape to ensuring each process is smooth, safe, and respectful. We’ll also dive into the art of handling pets with care and compassion, all while staying eco-friendly and compliant with regulations. Whether you’re just starting out or have been at it for years, this presentation will leave you feeling confident, knowledgeable, and ready to shine in your role!
  • 10:30–11:00 AM 
    Break
  • 11:00 am – 12:30 PM
    Creating Spaces for Pets in Your Cemetery Development Plan – John Bolton, CCE, CCrE, CSE, CXE
    Pets are important. Americans spent $124 billion dollars on pet products and services. Among Americans yet to purchase a home, nearly 42% admitted that their pet or the desire to have one would be a key factor in their decision to buy a house. So with the pet industry continuing to grow rapidly in the US, what are we doing to help facilitate memorializing a pet as they go to the Rainbow Bridge? In this informative session, John will share the thought process, development components and return on investment potential of adding a pet burial and cremation area to your cemetery.
  • 12:30 – 1:30 PM
    Lunch 
  • 1:30 – 3:00 PM
    Phone Etiquette for the Pet Loss Profession – Nicki Wiedeman
    This PLPA course focuses on the importance of phone skills excellence, empathy and professionalism. Data collected from 100s of phone calls to the pet loss profession illustrates the specific areas where we need improvement to create a positive pet parent experience.
    ESSENTIAL AREAS WE WILL MASTER ARE:

    • Initial Answer
    • First Engagement
    • Pricing
    • Follow-up Information
    • Lead Information
    • Closing the Call
    • Phone Etiquette

    We will dissect real live examples of phone calls to determine what TO DO and what NOT TO DO when taking a pet loss call. You will leave the course with skills to implement immediately back at the funeral home or vet office.

  • 3:00 – 3:30 PM
    Break
  • 3:30 – 4:45 PM
    Practical Technology in Today’s Business – Pierce Dempsey
    Pierce will show you how even the techno-illiterate can use AI.  Through live test cases, you will have a better understanding how to use AI tools to better serve families.  This isn’t pie-in-the-sky technology. AI can make your business more family-focused, and Pierce is here to show you how.
  • 4:45 – 5:00 PM
    Course Wrap-Up and Certificate Presentation – Lauren Blevins Hogan, CCFE, CPLP

Hotel Accommodations

Emory Conference Center Hotel at Emory University
1615 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329

Phone: 404.712.6000
Toll Free: 1.800.933.6679
Fax: 404.712.6025

With state-of-the-art technology, spacious meeting rooms, conference dining, and well-appointed guestrooms, the Emory Conference Center Hotel offers an all-inclusive setting ideal for learning from top professionals, networking across all areas of cemetery, cremation, and funeral service, and forming the lifelong friendships that define the ICCFA University experience.

The ICCFA’s room block is open now through June 30.