Funeral expo shows latest industry trends

The enhanced facilities for international exhibitions and conferences have brought the Asia Funeral and Cemetery Expo & Conference back to town, said Wilson Tong, Fairs Director for the event organizer Vertical Expo Services, during the opening of the eighth edition of the event at the Macau Tower.
First held in Macau in 2008, what is deemed “the largest annual event for the funeral and cemetery industry in the Asia-Pacific” was subsequently held in the neighboring SAR for the following five years.
“We hope to bring that kind of international exhibition to Macau, with the entertainment and leisure supporting facilities here that attract business travellers,” said the event’s organizer. “With the optimized facilities for business and leisure here in Macau, as well as support from the government for exhibitions themed around business travel, this is conducive for us in terms of inviting higher-level speakers.”
Exhibitors from up to 22 countries or regions have participated in the three-day event. Lee Jong-
Lan, the president of the Korea Funeral Make-up Association, which is one of the participating companies, told the Times that the Korean government would subsidize people interested in learning make-up techniques for the deceased, covering half or even all of the tuition costs. According to the make-up artist, who has 15 years’ experience, one could practice in the industry as part of an internship after having completed only 24 hours of tutorials over three days. The remuneration for a single funeral could reach as much as MOP3,643.
Cherry Leung, who is a representative of another exhibitor from Hong Kong, Kun Bao Wooden Limited, told the Times that western-style coffins are expected to be the future trend among Chinese communities. This prediction comes from the fact that, over the past decade, desire for traditional Chinese coffins has plummeted by around two-thirds.
Mainland Chinese citizens have started to be more picky about their choices of cinerary urns. For instance, a recent trend has been to choose those urns made of natural materials such as jade or marble, which allow light penetration, said Tu Ke Shan, the Manager of an urn producer from the Chinese city of Zhengzhou. Staff reporter