The Best Marketing Tactic Everyone Knows and No One Uses

In an age where service industries are trading personal connection for digital convenience, true innovation means going back to our roots. This eye-opening presentation reveals how the most forward-thinking firms are flipping the script—using community engagement to build deeper trust, real relationships, and lasting brand equity. While it's important to capture clicks, the bold are also shaking hands, hosting events, and becoming fixtures in their neighborhoods. Discover why in-person outreach delivers 20x the impact of any ad—and how reconnecting offline is one of the most groundbreaking marketing moves you can make today.

Money Moves that Matter: Funding Growth, Transitions, and Tomorrow’s Vision

Financial limitations shouldn't hold your funeral home back from innovating and growing. In this session, lending expert Teresa Carlson will share practical strategies to help you use financing as a tool for progress—whether you're expanding facilities, investing in technology, upgrading equipment, or pursuing new service offerings. Learn how SBA and Funeral Conventional loans can unlock opportunities to modernize your operations and better serve today’s families.

Innovate to Serve: Using AI and Automation to Enhance Funeral Care

AI isn’t here to replace human connection—it’s here to enhance it. By handling administrative tasks, AI frees up funeral professionals to focus on what truly matters: providing comfort and care. In this session, Jon Lefrandt will explore how AI and automation can help navigate industry challenges like shifting consumer expectations, competition, and staffing shortages. Through real-world applications like ChatGPT, social listening, and customer journey mapping, attendees will learn how to modernize client interactions, improve efficiency, and amplify human connection. Interactive demos and practical strategies will showcase how technology can create more meaningful experiences for the families you serve.

What’s Next for Preneed? These New Breakthroughs are Leading the Way

It’s time to reimagine what preneed can be. With today’s families facing

more complexity, less clarity, and harder decisions than ever before, a thoughtfully designed preneed experience can transform loss. In this session, discover how to leverage preneed technology to support your sales process and drive deeper connections

with families

Benefits From Funeral Car Innovation

Tom Cole and Nathan Hurst will discuss how funeral car innovation can have a positive impact on funeral homes. Funeral homes can benefit from innovations in funeral car design by creating more meaningful and healing experiences for the families they serve. These enhanced services not only provide comfort during a difficult time but also present new opportunities to grow revenue by offering unique, value-added options that set the funeral home apart.

The Evolution of Talent Acquisition

This session, will explore recruitment vs. talent acquisition, how to attract and retain talent, bridge the gap between new and seasoned funeral service professionals, build strong relationships with mortuary schools, implement DE&I hiring initiatives, leverage social media, and conclude with a Q&A.