2022 Agenda

How do you encourage people to come to your funeral home without attending a funeral? Invite these future customers to attend a Before I Die Festival. With a one- or two-day event at your facility, you can address the public’s curiosity, educate them about new trends in death care, build your preneed customer pipeline, generate great local media stories, and connect your funeral home to complementary end-of-life businesses. Utilize behind-the-scenes tours, panel discussions, and outside-the-box activities to engage your community. Learn how several funeral homes leveraged Before I Die Festivals to generate warm leads, create community connections, get great news coverage, and foster end-of-life planning conversations leading to preneed sales. (1 CE hour)

The past two years have seen a quiet transformation in the way consumers talk about death and deathcare services, particularly online. This panel discussion featuring digital marketing experts will reveal new data to help you understand those changes and how digital habits and evolving consumer expectations about online deathcare services will impact the way we offer those services in the future. (1 CE hour)

As the world becomes more aware, and more interested in understanding the cultural experiences and plights of Black Americans, glimpses into typically closed traditions and customs, are becoming integral to facilitating a comprehensive understanding of how to best service the community.  This session is intended to provide funeral service professionals of all backgrounds a historical overview of the Black funeral home, and Black funeral culture, in America. (1 CE hour)

Inconvenient truth: operators of crematories and cemeteries are facing increasing regulatory pressure. Denying trends does not stop them from happening, while clinging to the past is a recipe for failure. No business wants to become the next Polaroid Corporation. Understanding the outside forces shaping the funeral industry is vital to your business’s ability to thrive. Discover new options to offer the families you serve. (1 CE hour)

The typical funeral home in the United States is owned and/or operated by an individual of the baby boomer or early generation X age range. Millennials, who will soon become the successors in these businesses, act and operate very differently. They are changing how businesses operate and carving new paths in almost every industry, including death care. Understand why millennials are so different than previous generations, and learn how to engage and motivate these employees as your best asset. (1 CE hour)

Certain situations require ethical decisions be made in funeral service. The laws, regulations, and policies governing our profession do not always dictate what is right or wrong with a particular ethical issue. You’ll examine the moral principles of ethics, learn how to make difficult ethical decisions, and identify guidelines to use when facing ethical issues at work. (1 CE hour)

The way we host funerals is rapidly changing. Requests for “celebrations of life” are on the rise, and families want to personalize their tributes in unique ways that align with their values and their interests.

Discover 50 ideas to help you impress your families with enhanced design details, great interactive moments, and the latest reception concepts. Enhance your offerings by adding streamlined style to your tribute events and create opportunities for attractive upselling. (1 CE hour)

People often believe the funeral home is no place for fun or laughter, but as funeral professionals we know that families and friends laugh in our buildings all the time. The fact is those families who allow themselves to embrace humor during grief tend to grieve in a more healthy way than the ones who refuse. Understand why so many families are uncomfortable in the funeral home and learn how laughter can remedy this discomfort and set them on a path to healing. Humor can be just as powerful and an effective coping tool for funeral professionals too! (1 CE hour)

It is no surprise ritual is an important part of the grieving process. Learn how to create meaningful rituals for families choosing cremation. Discover the six main types of rituals contemporary death planners are looking for, and many of the options available to cremation families today. Uncover how focusing on ritual and experience building will help funeral professionals re-frame rising cremation rates as an opportunity instead of a challenge. More options for ritual building bring more intrinsic value to cremation services in the eyes of consumers and helps families see cremation as an investment instead of a purchase. (1 CE hour)

Embalming is not the same today as it was 5 years ago. With the introduction of new medications, COVID-19, longer life expectancy, delayed embalming, as well as many other changes, it is vitally important embalmers recognize these changes and adjust their approach in the preparation room. Understand the need to be flexible in your approach, sharpen specific embalming techniques and learn best practices for every embalming case analysis. (1 CE hour)

Do you know what death care facilities are most at risk for OSHA violations? Or that the average OSHA fine is more than $13,000? NFDA Endorsed Provider Certified Safety Training (CST) outlines how to build and leverage a culture of safety to eliminate the largest OSHA fines before they exist. We look at the top OSHA fines, distill complex technical regulations into plain English, and show you how to award yourself for “proactive safety.” We offer the necessary training tools and resources to ensure you meet and exceed OSHA’s funeral home standards and never pay an OSHA fine. (1 CE hour)

Not only is distracted driving a serious problem, it’s an epidemic. With each new mobile device, the potential for behind-the-wheel distractions increases and so does your business’s exposure to risk. Learn how to implement a mobile device/driving policy at your company, educate your employees on this hazard, and discover technology solutions that can aid you in restricting mobile phone use in vehicles. It’s up to each of us to make ending distracted driving a priority. The lives of those who are important to us may depend on it. (1 CE hour)

Too often, funeral providers who pride themselves on offering exceptional service spend most of their time talking to families about out-of-pocket costs. Or they find themselves in a difficult (and unsustainable) position after lowering prices to compete with low-cost providers. What do you do when you discover that your profit margin is no longer enough to support your historic service levels? Discover actionable steps for how to compete as a service leader in your market, shifting conversations away from what consumers pay and toward the long-lasting value of your goods, services and expertise. (1 CE hour)

As a result of the pandemic, funeral homes had to quickly pivot to live streaming services. This often meant that there were far more remote attendees than in-person attendees at funerals. Explore the ways in which funeral directors can build their virtual brand by adopting best practices to create an online environment that closely matches the in-person experience, enabling all loved ones to grieve effectively regardless of their location or circumstances. Understand why the remote attendee experience is important and how it impacts a funeral home's brand image. (1 CE hour)

It is a challenge to keep up with the ever-changing state and federal public policy, especially when your priority as a funeral director is ensuring the families that you serve receive the care and attention they deserve. Join NFDA’s experts to discuss a comprehensive review of both legislative and legal issues facing funeral service today.