Conversation Cafés
(In person only)
Selected Preferred Partners will be offering unique educational insight into topics that matter to you and your firm.
Stop by the designated meeting rooms for in-depth conversations with representatives from the following:
Thursday, September 26
10:45 a.m.- 11:15 a.m.
@need Marketing
St. Augustine A
Which Metrics Matter? Assessing the Impact of Your Marketing
Join us for an interactive and informative session where we'll share @need Marketing’s best practices for measuring marketing effectiveness through real-time examples like Pay Per Click (PPC), Quality Call Leads, Over the Top Marketing (OTT), and QR code data. Discover how to transform your marketing strategy with the right metrics and drive success.
C&J Financial
St. Augustine B
Are You Missing Out on Free Money?!
Most likely your firm accepts insurance assignments. Most likely you are not maximizing how insurance assignments can transform your bottom line. You might be shocked at what you are missing out on! Learn more from C&J Financial, LLC.
Cadence
St. Augustine C
Bridging the Aftercare Gap: Aligning Funeral Service with Family Needs through Research and Innovation
There is a gap in understanding what aftercare is, or ought to be, between funeral service providers and the families they serve. We will demonstrate via research what families deem aftercare to encompass, such as grief support resources, assistance with paperwork, pre- planning/pre-need information, and connection to local professionals to help them with probate and/or accounting-related matters. Research will also demonstrate what families think of different forms of aftercare. We will discuss different options for funeral homes to consolidate the difference of understanding, including service offerings to consider, and provide suggestions for fleshing out aftercare programs.
Certified Safety Training
St. Augustine D
Attract, Retain, and Empower Employees Through Modern Day Tools
Ever wonder how the most successful funeral homes attract and retain the best people? In this Conversation Cafe, Certified Safety Training’s (CST) President, Mark Harrison, will demonstrate how Selected Members are using the CST App to seamlessly stay in OSHA compliance, onboard new hires, and empower employees with modern day tools.
Thursday, September 26
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Facultatieve Technologies
St. Augustine A
Cremation Choices 101
What is new in cremation – flame based, water based, electric and yes, human composting? You may be surprised what’s next. Learn what is happening with the EPA in North America, and how it will affect your operation.
Good Fellow CFO
St. Augustine B
Financial Fortitude: Key Tax Strategies for Funeral Homes in 2024
In this presentation, we will explore the top three tax strategies funeral home owners should leverage in 2024 to maximize their savings and enhance financial efficiency. Learn how to take advantage of the latest tax laws, optimize deductions, and strategically plan for future financial stability. Empower your funeral home business with the knowledge to navigate the complex tax landscape successfully.
Legacy
St. Augustine C
Get to Know the NEW Legacy: How We've Changed Our Business Model for Funeral Homes
Legacy has introduced a groundbreaking program called Legacy Pro Business, designed to give funeral homes full control over their brand. With this new program, funeral homes will see an overnight increase in traffic, e-commerce activity, and guestbook redirects. Plus, enjoy 25 backlinks for SEO, access to ObitData for competitor call volume, and much more!
OneRoom
St. Augustine D
Maximize Revenue from Your Virtual Chapel
Explore how engaging and interactive funeral streams can improve your brand connection, generate warm pre-need inquiries, and drive business growth for your funeral home. If you're not seeing these results currently, come see how new developments in funeral streaming can have you start seeing the rewards.
Friday, September 27
9:30 a.m.- 10:00 a.m.
MKJ Marketing
St. Augustine A
Think Locally, Behave Nationally: 5 Lessons Your Firm Can Learn from Industry Giants
In today's market, size is a powerful advantage, leaving smaller firms in need of strategic planning and continuous evolution to attract and retain customers. Is your firm feeling the squeeze? Join us for an exclusive session with Glenn Gould, Founder of MKJ Marketing and a renowned research expert in the funeral service profession. Glenn will share five actionable strategies your firm can implement immediately to stay competitive and thrive.
Parting Pro
St. Augustine B
Unveiling the Secrets: Why Funeral Merchandise Sales Fail Online—300,000 Arrangements Analyzed
Caroline Andree, Head of Industry Relations, will take you inside the data on hundreds of thousands of online cases to learn why funeral homes fail at selling merchandise.
Private Label Caskets
St. Augustine C
Developing Multiple Sources of Revenue
While our core business is conducting funerals there is much to be gained from adding event capabilities to your firm’s service offerings. We will explore a few easy things that you can do today to start introducing your community to events at the funeral home. We will also explore what a full service line of Events looks like in today’s world. We’ll explore how branding both works together and remains autonomous in our own firm. Events can be a great revenue generator as well as preserve our value in a changing landscape.
Tukios
St. Augustine D
Impact of AI on Funerals
This presentation will delve into innovative strategies for funeral directors to use artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily operations, streamlining efficiency and enhancing memorial services. You will learn to harness AI to generate engaging content, optimize search engine visibility, restore images, deploy interactive chatbots, and more. Explore the latest AI tools, putting you at the forefront of technological advancements. This talk is tailored to offer actionable insights that can be applied immediately, positioning funeral homes as pioneers in this transformative era.
Friday, September 27
2:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Legacy Touch
St. Augustine A
Bolstering Your Business with Personalized Memorial Jewelry
The demand for personalized jewelry, especially fingerprint keepsakes, is skyrocketing, with sales expected to surge into 2025. As this trend grows, many funeral service firms face uncharted territory, particularly in establishing operational best practices. Legacy Touch CEO Jerry Pluviose and Starlyn Aurit, the Customer Experience/Marketing Director of Harrell Funeral Homes, will share essential strategies, address legal concerns, and innovative marketing techniques to help your firm capitalize on this booming market.
Ring Ring Marketing
St. Augustine B
Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Digital Marketing for Funeral Homes Amid Low Death Rates
This is a session designed to empower funeral homes to thrive amidst the current demographic shifts. We will explore effective digital marketing strategies, tailored for the unique dynamics of the funeral industry, that drive growth even in times of declining death rates. The session also emphasizes maximizing preneed and at-need calls, and preparing for the inevitable surge of Baby Boomer passings. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and tools to not only safeguard their current market position but also to seize upcoming opportunities in their local market.
Tribute Technology
St. Augustine C
Obituary Spam: What It Is and How to Protect Your Business and Your Families
Improved AI has streamlined obituary writing but also allowed unrelated parties to steal traffic from funeral home websites by capitalizing on obituaries. This leads to a loss of trust, inaccuracies, and reduced website traffic for funeral homes. Join Tribute Technology CEO Charlie Cole to learn about obituary spam and how to combat it.
Funeral Directors Life
St. Augustine D
Common Disconnects with Funeral Consumers and How to Bridge the Gaps
On a scale of 1-10, how well do you know families’ funeral preferences? If you don't understand consumer expectations, you might be causing unintentional dissatisfaction with your funeral home's service. Join Funeral Directors Life's Regional Sales Vice Presidents Kevin Gaffney and Jeff "Stewy" Stewart to learn about common disconnects with today's funeral consumers and discover ways to bridge these gaps to connect with them once and for all.