2022 Agenda

According to the NFDA 2020 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey, 59.5 percent of respondents felt some level of comfort planning and executing a funeral or memorial service without a funeral director’s input, yet 62.1 percent would still contact a funeral director to get help with planning a funeral or memorial service. What is the source of their trust in us? How can we keep that trust and do a better job of gaining the missing 37.9 percent’s confidence? NFDA’s Melissa Posey Loose marries time-tested research, personal insights, and valuable resource tools to illustrate how to bridge the gap existing between funeral professionals and grieving families to ensure delivery of first-class service desired and deserved by those who need it most. (1 CE hour)

Are you the cremation expert in your area or do you go through the motions because it’s ‘just a cremation’ family? With more than 50 percent of families nationally choosing cremation, it can no longer be ‘business as usual’ when serving those families. Nicodemus examines five key factors that will help you succeed in cremation and develop a clear message for why families should choose you over your competitor. Excellent customer service isn’t the only reason a family may decide to use you over the funeral home down the street. Learn what other factors help a family decide who handles their loved one at the time of death. Discover how to become the ‘go to’ funeral home for all your families’ cremation needs. (1 CE hour)

Formaldehyde has been used in embalming fluids since the early 1900s and is still the primary preservative in the majority of embalming fluids today. In fact, formaldehyde is overwhelmingly the preservation agent preferred by most embalmers. However, according to EPA, workers are exposed to formaldehyde during the embalming process. EPA is currently reviewing what risk may exist from that exposure. As previous literature and research studies are dated and do not reflect modern practice, NFDA recently commissioned  a study to determine current formaldehyde exposures. We’ll share an update on the EPA’s review, the results of the research study, and how all of this may affect you and your business in the future. Don’t miss this important update! (1 CE hour)

Believe it or not, at a time when they need the support of family and friends the most, some grieving people get ghosted. Often the very people the bereaved thought they could count on, simply disappear from their lives. Sherrie shares her personal experience following the death of her son and offers ideas as to why this happens. Understand why losing close relationships happens and what it is you can say and do during these difficult times to support those who have lost a loved one. (1 CE hour)

Monica welcomes you to the NXT Generation of funeral service by sharing ideas on how to create your own home funeral experience centralized on the body and helping families fill the void and disconnect between the time of death and cremation or burial. The FADE program was designed with cremation families in mind. This new twist on a century’s old concept will help your firm recapture lost revenue and give insight to funeral directors and embalmers of all experience levels. We’ll discuss ethics, arrangement counseling, marketing, cosmetic postmortem rejuvenation, legal authorizations, and how to legally overcome the challenges of preparing the un-embalmed body. (1.5 CE hours)