For Immediate Release: December 9, 2019

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association is inviting funeral professionals to trade their snow boots and parkas for shorts and flip flops during the 2020 Cremation Conference, February 21-23, 2020, at the Tradewinds Island Resort in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Attendees will walk away with strategies to nurture the cremation side of their business and exceed the expectations of families that prefer cremation.

Attendees will hear from experts who have successfully navigated rising rates of cremation in their community. They will also discover how to market their firm as a leading provider of cremation, surpass the expectations of families by providing evocative experiences and increase the value of their cremation business. The 2020 Cremation Conference presenters are

• Clock Funeral Homes: A True Case Study presented by Jodi Clock, business development director, ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust
• Helping Cremation Families “Go the Final Mile” presented by Sammy Oakey III, Oakey’s Funeral Service
• Managing the Cremation Minefield and Re-inventing the Customer Experience presented by Randall Weagley, president of operations, Stauffer Funeral Homes
• Your Ultimate Guide to Cremation Arranging presented by Lacy Robinson, director of member development, NFDA
• The Yearly Show: A Look at the Numbers presented by Lacy Robinson, director of member development, NFDA; and Mike Nicodemus, vice president of cremation services, NFDA
• What Will & Won't Work in 2020 for Generating More Cremation Calls presented by Welton Hong, founder, Ring Ring Marketing
• The Art of Cremation presented by Joseph Brown III, co-owner, Joseph Brown Jr. Funeral Home
• Protecting Your Families & Your Firm presented by Scott Gilligan, general counsel, NFDA

The Cremation Conference will also feature a Welcome Reception, a Q&A session during which attendees can ask the conference’s knowledgeable presenters their most pressing questions, and plenty of opportunities to network and share ideas with peers.

Attendees can save $50 on the Cremation Conference registration fee when they register by January 24.

• Registration Fees (Includes expert presentations, CE, handouts, meals (continental breakfast, lunch, refreshments) and the Welcome Reception):

• First Registrant:
  • NFDA Member Licensed Funeral Director – on or before January 24: $495; after January 24: $545
  • Nonmember Licensed Funeral Director – on or before January 24: $645; after January 24: $695
  • Nonmember Non-Funeral Director – on or before January 24: $495; after January 24: $545
• Second Registrant From Same Organization – on or before January 24: $470; after January 24: $520

Attendees can sink their feet in the sand and soak up the sun at the Tradewinds Island Resort. When the conference ends for the day, they can escape to a beach-side hammock, jet pack over the ocean or treat themselves to fresh seafood. The deadline to book a room is January 20, 2020.

Complete details about the NFDA Cremation Conference, including the event schedule, speaker biographies, and information about how to register and make hotel reservations, is available on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/cremationconference.  

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

# # #     

Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org