Funeral professionals looking to gain practical strategies to grow and strengthen their businesses and network with their peers are gearing up for “Mastermind: Elevating Your Funeral Service Business to New Heights,” which will be Sept. 24 at the Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The event has been approved for continuing education credits by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice as well as numerous individual states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and New Jersey.
Time is running out, however, to get the lowest rate: The early-bird offer expires July 31.
Hosted by FuneralVision.com, the conference is designed to help funeral home owners, managers, funeral directors, cemetery professionals and other deathcare leaders navigate an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving profession.
“The response from state licensing boards reinforces what we’re trying to accomplish with this event,” said Thomas Parmalee, founder of FuneralVision.com and CemeteryVision.com. “We’re bringing together some of the profession’s most respected leaders and innovators to share ideas attendees can put into practice immediately to improve their businesses, better serve families and prepare for the future.”
The conference agenda combines business strategy, consumer research, preneed insights, operational excellence, marketing and emerging technology into a single day of education and networking.
Among the featured speakers:
- Chris Cruger, CEO of Foresight, will present new consumer research and discuss how changing consumer expectations are reshaping funeral service.
- Emilli Milstead, manager of continuous improvement at Carriage Services, will share practical strategies in a presentation titled, “1% Better Every Day: Small Improvements that Create Lasting Change.”
- Terri Bordenkircher of Homesteaders Life Company will examine findings from the company’s latest Preneed Motivators research and what they reveal about consumer planning behavior.
- Rev. Christopher Monturo will discuss grief, ritual and opportunities to strengthen relationships between funeral professionals and clergy.
- Welton Hong, founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing, will outline marketing strategies funeral homes can use to remain competitive in 2027 and beyond.
- Effie Anolik, Rehan Choudhry and Nicholas Allan will participate in a technology-focused session examining how artificial intelligence and other innovations are transforming the deathcare profession.
In addition to educational sessions, attendees will have opportunities to network with colleagues and participate in a cocktail reception on the evening of Sept. 23.
As an added incentive, the first 20 registrants to arrive at the opening-night reception will receive complimentary tickets to the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Milwaukee Brewers at nearby Citizens Bank Park.
Registration is currently available at the early-bird rate of $199 through July 31. After that date, registration increases to $349.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Mastermind would not be possible without our generous sponsors, including our exclusive Diamond Sponsor, The Foresight Companies, LLC; our Platinum sponsors, Homesteaders Life Company and OneRoom and our Gold sponsors, Carriage Services, Ring Ring Marketing, Nomis Publications, ASD – Answering Service for Directors, the leading funeral home answering service and Cremation Air.
