One of the biggest reasons to attend the 2026 NFDA International Convention & Expo, October 25-28 in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day demands of funeral service and spend time learning, thinking and discovering new ideas you can put to work when you return home.

This year’s education program offers 30+ workshops and up to 16 hours of continuing education, with sessions addressing many of the issues you are navigating right now. From changing consumer expectations and workforce challenges to new technologies, business pressures and increasingly complex family needs, Convention education is designed to provide practical ideas and strategies you can use in your funeral home.

Education for Every Part of Your Profession

Throughout Convention, choose from sessions covering business operations, leadership, consumer care, embalming and restorative art, compliance and advocacy, marketing, technology, and more.

Explore how to build a sustainable funeral home brand and create a workplace culture that attracts and retains great employees. Learn strategies for strengthening relationships with hospice organizations and ensuring funeral service has a seat at the table in community crisis planning. Dive into topics such as the FTC Funeral Rule, veterans’ funeral and burial benefits, artificial intelligence, digital marketing, family communication, and the changing expectations of today’s consumers.

Technical education also remains an important part of the Convention experience, with sessions addressing advanced embalming and restorative art, decomposition, decedent care and challenging cases.

And with so many choices, you can build an education schedule around your interests, challenges and professional goals.

Go Deeper Before Convention Begins

Want even more? This year, NFDA is offering three immersive preconvention seminars that provide additional time to explore important topics in greater depth.

On Saturday, October 24, choose from “The Art & Weight of the Arrangement Conference: Navigating Complexity in Deathcare,” an interactive master class focused on navigating challenging family dynamics, ethical issues, cultural considerations and difficult conversations; or “Cremation Conversations: Decisions, Meaning and the Future of Disposition,” which takes a deeper look at the family, cultural and emotional considerations surrounding cremation and emerging disposition choices.

On Sunday morning, “Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Partnerships Among Funeral Professionals, End-of-life Doulas and Hospice Teams” brings professionals from across the end-of-life continuum together to explore how stronger communication and collaboration can improve the support families receive before, during and after a death.

Preconvention seminars require separate registration and offer three or four additional CE hours, depending on the program.

Make Convention Your Investment in What’s Next

Great education should do more than fill a CE requirement. It should send you home with a new idea, a different perspective or a practical solution to a challenge you’ve been trying to solve. That’s what the NFDA Convention education program is designed to deliver.

And education is only one part of the Convention experience. You’ll also explore 300+ exhibitors at the world’s largest funeral service Expo, hear thought-provoking keynote speakers, connect with funeral professionals from around the world and experience four days of innovation, inspiration and connection in Charlotte.

Register by August 13 to save $200 with early-bird pricing. Hotel reservations through NFDA’s official housing bureau should be made by September 30.

Explore the complete Convention education schedule and register today