Scanning for CE Has Never Been Easier!

This year, if you want CE credit for the workshops and events you attend, you must download the NFDA app! Once downloaded, simply scan the QR code on your way out of each workshop or event. App sponsored by Tribute Technology.

Watch for more information on how to get and use the app as we get closer to Convention.

All times shown are Pacific Time.

NFDA does not endorse and is not responsible for views expressed by the speakers.
Workshop recordings will be available for purchase in the NFDA store.

8 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Preconvention Seminar

Certified Celebrant Training (17 CE hours) Seminar Day 3 of 3

Business Operations Customer Service Professional Skills Certified Celebrant Training
Glenda Stansbury
InSight Institute
Kathy Burns
Insight Institute

Brought to you by InSight Institute and hosted by NFDA

Registration: Friday 12:30 p.m.

Seminar Day 1: Friday 1 - 6 p.m.
Seminar Day 2: Saturday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Seminar Day 3: Sunday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.


Set your firm apart from the competition and offer more to the families you serve! As families’ wishes continue to evolve, it is more important than ever to offer a variety of services that meet their needs and exceed their expectations. Fewer families incorporate religious rites into memorial services now so how can you fill that gap? Many funeral homes look to celebrants and find it most economical to train their staff to accommodate this growing demand for customized services. A certified celebrant works with a funeral director to provide a funeral service, memorial service or tribute that is personalized to reflect the personality and life of the deceased. (17 CE hours through InSight Institute)

Separate registration required
This is a 3-day seminar

$895 NFDA members or eligible non-funeral directors
$1,050 nonmember funeral directors

The rates above are for a 3-day seminar. Fee includes light meals and refreshments.

Register Now

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Preconvention Seminars

Managing Various Hospital and Trauma Cases (4 CE Hours)

Technical Skills
Karl Wenzel, CFSP
Founder | Canadian School of Advanced PREP
Glyn Tallon, CFSP
Instructor | Canadian School of Advanced PREP

Expand your knowledge and comfort level to tackle the most difficult cases. Instructors will illustrate step-by-step techniques to make difficult embalming cases more manageable. Discover what works best for techniques and products with various levels of hospital and traumatized cases. Learn different techniques and chemicals that have proven to be successful. Learn what new products are aiding us in the prep room. We will examine conditions including edema, jaundice, cancers, decomposition and medical cases. (4 CE hours)


Register for this session as part of your convention registration.

Onsite Registration: 7:30 – 8 a.m.

NFDA members
$185  by August 23, 2023
$205  after August 23, 2023

Nonmember funeral directors
$255  by August 23, 2023
$280  after August 23, 2023

Mortuary students*
$90

* No online registration is available for students. Call 800-228-6332.

 


Safe Zone Training for Funeral Service Professionals (4 CE Hours)

Customer Service
Sara Murphy, PhD, CT
Death Educator and Suicidologist

The need to strengthen the relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and funeral service has become unprecedentedly visible in recent years. Increasingly, funeral service professionals seek education to fill learning gaps regarding this community in order to meet the needs of clients and staff with grounded and unbiased knowledge, strategies for allyship, and cultural humility. This four-hour workshop will provide the first-ever Safe Zone training offered publicly to members of the funeral service profession. As an internationally recognized, evidence-informed training program, Safe Zone workshops provide attendees with interactive education on LGBTQ+ identities, privilege and biases, cycles of oppression, the coming-out experience, and skill building for allies. Facilitated by an expert in grief and bereavement who is also an experienced Safe Zone trainer, this intensive workshop has been designed specifically to meet the needs of NFDA convention attendees and to address common scenarios for professionals in funeral service. (4 CE hours)


Register for this session as part of your convention registration.

Onsite Registration: 7:30 – 8 a.m.

$205 NFDA members and nonmembers
$75 mortuary students*

* No online registration is available for students. Call 800-228-6332.


11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | 23rd Annual Funeral Service Foundation Golf Classic

23rd Annual Funeral Service Foundation Golf Classic Topgolf, Las Vegas, Nevada

2023 FSF-GolfClassic-Logo-LasVegas

Now in its twenty-third year, the Funeral Service Foundation’s golf outing has raised more than $1.6 million in support of its mission of investing in people and programs that strengthen funeral service and lift up grieving communities.

Experience all the perks of our annual Golf Classic in a social, casual and exciting atmosphere at Topgolf, just a 10-minute ride from Resorts World!

No matter your skill level, at Topgolf, you’ll be able to take a swing and score some points during our tournament-style golf games. You can also relax and enjoy great food and drinks while networking with your fellow funeral service professionals. And because each covered bay is climate controlled, you’re guaranteed to play no matter what weather comes our way in September.

Separate registration required

Cost per player is $325. Registration includes transportation, tournament fees, food and beverages, golf clubs, four hours of play in reserved bays, and a golf pro and tournament ambassadors to help the day’s play run smoothly.

Want to support the foundation, but golf isn’t your game? Simply join as a spectator! Your $150 registration fee allows you to experience all the networking and excitement of the day without the pressure to step up to the bay and take a shot.

This year, we will once again offer a limited number of single-player registrations to licensed funeral directors, subject to availability.

Visit FuneralServiceFoundation.org/golf, and click on “Support the 2023 Golf Classic!” to register and learn about sponsorship opportunities. Or click the button below.

Support the 2023 Golf Classic!

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Workshops (1 CE hour)

Succession Planning and Investing in Key Employees

Business Operations
Patrick Cunningham
National Account Executive | Federated Insurance

Every business has long-term goals. To achieve those goals, two things need to happen: retain your key employees and have an exit strategy. Entrepreneurs have built their businesses through hard work and sacrifice. These owners deserve a great exit package, and a great exit package means knowing what your business is worth. This presentation will focus on rewarding key employees as well as price and common business valuation mistakes. (1 CE hour)

Sponsored by

Don’t Fear Transparency with Online Pricing

Compliance & Legal
Marty Ludlum
Professor of Business Law | University of Central Oklahoma
Kara Gray Ludlum
CPA and Funeral Director | Osiris Funeral Software

Prepare your firm for online pricing, the new normal. Learn how to implement online pricing and what benefits transparency has to your firm. Explore how you can compete in areas other than just price. If you aren’t listing your prices online now, join us to learn why it’s an essential business benefit. (1 CE hour) (Translation available: Spanish)


Improv for Funeral Directors

Customer Service
Joseph Thomas, CFSP
Funeral Director | Shackelford Funeral Directors

For decades, improv comedy theatres like Second City, The Groundlings, and The Upright Citizens Brigade have offered training on how the principles of improv can relate to, and improve, business performance and customer service. Learn how you can take the basics of improv comedy and adapt them to the various scenarios funeral directors often encounter to enhance customer service, improve funeral plan execution, and help navigate unforeseen circumstances. (1 CE hour)


Delivering Phenomenal Preneed Experiences

Preneed
Tyler Anderson
Vice President, Business Development | Precoa

Have you noticed a growing number of families don’t automatically value funeral service? Building on the latest research and data, learn why consumer norms are shifting and how preneed is the best way to innovate the customer journey. With a focus on proactively educating and connecting with families, find out how to increase your reach and build lasting brand awareness with preneed experiences that are nothing short of remarkable. You’ll discover why consistently engaging today’s customers will transform how they start experiencing your funeral home. (1 CE hour)


Foundations for Trust in Funeral Service

Customer Service
Melissa Posey Loose, MA, LFD, CCO
Training and Development Manager | NFDA

Helping families feel comfortable with the idea of interacting with a funeral service professional begins with that professional’s ability to connect. The need to ease anxiety and discover what each family values and how family members want to honor the life of their loved one can only be met through first building trust. When a high level of trust is achieved, that connection will open the doors for understanding bereaved families’ unique needs and desires for providing care and memorialization for their deceased loved one.   This workshop reinforces how to understand what families need from funeral service professionals, how to better build trust with families, and what can be done to develop a customized approach for relating to families. (1 CE hour)


1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Workshops (1 CE hour)

Let’s Talk: Serving Today’s Families

Customer Service
Effie Anolik
Co-Founder & CEO | Afterword

The generational transition is happening with baby boomers approaching 75. Millennials are moving into the primary planner role, and they make purchasing decisions differently than their parents. Unlike previous generations, they’re forming an opinion before stepping foot into your funeral home: from visiting your website, reading Google reviews, and scanning your social media profiles. Your funeral home is perfectly curated to create a welcoming and safe environment, but without the proper online presence, you may never be given the opportunity to show the next generation of planners what makes you unique. (1 CE hour)


When a Child Dies: Creating a Community of Care

Grief & Bereavement
Betsy Hawley
Executive Director | Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition
Buffy Peters
Director | Hamilton’s Academy of Grief & Loss
Vicki Jay
Chief Executive Officer | National Alliance for Grieving Children

When a child dies, the need for support for both the family and the community is overwhelming. It does, however, provide an opportunity for funeral service to shine in a way that will be remembered forever. Join us as we discuss creative and innovative ways that your funeral home can reach out to community partners such as hospices, healthcare systems, schools, grief centers to create awareness and provide support following the death of a child. (1 CE hour)


How Do You Drive a Tesla Without a Battery?

Business Operations
Danny Jefferson
Managing Leader | Pierce-Jefferson Funeral & Cremation Services
Alan Creedy
Owner | Creedy & Associates

Danny will take the audience to a place of laughter, reflection, and learning as he works the audience to participate in the session. Using a question and answer “live interview” format with selected audience members, Danny and Alan will facilitate a discussion on a variety of topics, including recruitment and retention, tips to increase sales volume and cash flow, merchandising, caseloads and staffing, and motivational leadership. Our role as leaders is not to provide information…it is to facilitate transformation. (1 CE hour)


Stand Out to Tech-Savvy Families

Technology Technical Skills
Zack Moy
Co-Founder & CTO | Afterword

With changes to the FTC’s Funeral Rule looming, now’s the best time to reevaluate your internet presence. How can you best prepare to meet (and exceed) the potential new requirements on your website? And how can you support your digital visitors while standing out among the other homes in your area? Afterword has analyzed over 14,000 funeral home websites across America, and in this data-driven talk, we’ll present our insights on how you can create the best experience for your visitors. From website layouts to button placement, GPL formats to featured testimonials, and SEO to privacy guidelines, we’ll share case studies and specific recommendations you can follow. Discover how you and your business can go beyond the FTC Rule requirements, help families see what makes your home unique before they ever visit in person, and increase your chances at winning new families’ business. (1 CE hour) (Translation available: Spanish)


The Dirt on Natural Organic Reduction

Professional Skills
Brienna Smith
COO | Return Home
Katey Houston
Services Manager | Return Home

Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) was legalized in Washington State in 2019. This unprecedented change in law has been a point of concern and contention within the industry. As licensed funeral professionals, we were not given access to research or training. Still, we felt that it was our responsibility to be well informed on this new disposition method. Our team abandoned tradition and comfort for innovation and uncertainty out of complete necessity. Return Home began conducting research in January 2019 and has formulated a process that can be explained with complete transparency. Becoming properly informed on NOR is vital to ensure full service for families and continued education as new states pass legislation permitting NOR.


2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Workshops (1 CE hour)

50 Prep Room Tricks of the Trade

Technical Skills
Dana Goodell
Director of Sales | The Embalmers Supply Company

As professional embalmers, we must work diligently to continue learning from our personal experiences, and to discover techniques and tricks of the trade from others. Discover 50 helpful hints that are tried and true that will refresh your mind and improve your knowledge and skill set in the prep room. (1 CE hour) (Translation available: Spanish)


Recording Native American Race on Death Certificates

Compliance & Legal
Dr. John Hough
Health Scientist | Center of Disease Control and Prevention

Funeral Directors already fulfill some of the most important recording and reporting responsibilities in the U.S. National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), by faithfully completing the Death Certificate. Overall, procedures for recording decedents’ demographic characteristics are working well. But there is room for improvement. The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics studies the degree of accuracy of race assignments in national mortality data. Among whites and blacks, less than 1 percent of decedents had incorrect race assignment. Among Asian Americans, the rate of incorrect race assignment has improved, from 7 percent to less than 3 percent. But among Native Americans, that rate remains unsustainably high, at 40 percent. How can the NVSS collaborate with Funeral Directors to improve that rate? (1 CE hour)

Sponsored by

Mending the Generational Divide

Business Operations
Antonio Green
Funeral Director | James H. Cole Home for Funerals
Allyse R. Worland
Funeral Director | Embalmer & Celebrant

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. The up-and-coming Millennial generation, which will soon become the successors in these businesses, act and operate very differently and are changing how businesses operate and are carving new paths in almost every industry, including deathcare. Owners and managers are now getting their first experience with the newest generation entering the workforce, Generation Z, which has vast differences from Millennials. Discover tools and tips for how to motivate and get the most productivity out of your younger staffers, while dispelling misconceptions and falsehoods about the younger generations. (1 CE hour)


Walking a Peaceful Path through Pet Loss

Professional Skills
Anna McClain
Pet Loss Grief Support Specialist | PAWS Pathway

PAWS Pathway is our life path through pet loss where our pets have imprinted on our hearts with their paw prints, kisses, and cuddles, and we honor their memories through our future words/actions. This is a personalized way of going through pet loss that honors the human-bond and always embraces your special bond with your pet, while learning to acknowledge and grow through your grief. PAWS Pathway can be utilized through both Anticipatory Pet Grief and Pet Loss and helps one feel supported and embraced among others in a disenfranchised society. We’ll focus on the common obstacles of pet loss and help others find ways to help with their emotional and physical pain, including discussing anticipatory grief and understanding your pet’s quality of life. (1 CE hour)


Washington Insider: Current Federal Developments & What You Need to Know

Business Operations
Lesley Witter
Senior Vice President, Advocacy | NFDA

The decisions made by federal legislators and regulators in Washington DC impact your business every day. It is vital that NFDA remain the strongest voice for you, your business, the funeral profession, and the families we serve. Having a strong advocate keeping up with the ever-changing federal legislative and regulatory landscape and how it impacts your business and profession is vital to your success. Join NFDA’s federal lobbyist for a comprehensive review of federal legislative and regulatory issues facing funeral service today that will dictate the viability of your business and the funeral profession. (1 CE hour)


4 – 5 p.m. | PWC Re-Connect

PWC Re-Connect Hilton Resorts World, Rose Terrace

The 2023 PWC ReConnect event, where friends, colleagues and past Professional Women′s Conference attendees can "ReConnect with a Winning Experience" and toast each other! 

The Special Guest will be Ellen Wynn McBrayer, the recipient of the 2023 NFDA Inspiration Award. 

This event is graciously sponsored by NGL. RSVP is required - please email cvondenbergh@nfda.org for more information. 

Sponsored by

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Welcome Party

Welcome Party Hilton Resorts World, Rose Rooftop

Your convention adventure kicks off in style at the Welcome Party! Every year, this is the place to be. Join us and reconnect with old friends, plus make some new ones, while enjoying amazing music, hors d’oeuvres, and refreshments.

Will this be your first time attending the NFDA convention? Join us at the First-time Attendee Reception, starting at 5 p.m. before to the Welcome Party.

Sponsored by