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Navigate the Convention Like a Pro!

Agenda

Your Convention Playbook: Get Ready for Race Week!

Our Convention Playbook video series is designed to help you feel prepared, confident, and ready to make the most of your week. Each short video covers a different part of the convention experience; from getting to know Charlotte and navigating NFDA Central to hotels, registration, workshops, the Expo Hall and more.
 
Whether this is your first NFDA convention or you’re a seasoned attendee, these quick videos are packed with helpful tips, insider information and a little fun along the way.
New videos will be added as they’re ready, so check back often and follow along as we make our way through Race Week in Charlotte!

Orientation Videos (More Coming Soon)

Connection Hub — NEW in 2026

The Connection Hub is your home base for making connections at Convention. Check the Connection Hub schedule in the App to find the topic or conversation that’s right for you.

You’ll find the Hub near NFDA Central.  

What to expect: every session here is a networking opportunity — a chance to connect, have real conversation, and find your people. That applies across the board, so it’s not repeated session by session below. 

Connection Hub Schedule

Sunday, October 25 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. 
Leadership | Leadership that Matters 
Learn practical ways to lead with purpose, build trust and create a lasting impact on your team and profession. 
Host: Ruth Graczkowski 
Audience: For anyone in funeral service looking to grow as a leader — from first-time managers to seasoned directors. 
 
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. 
Women in Funeral Service | You Belong in the Room: Owning Your Place in Funeral Service 
Whether you’re new to the profession or decades in, this is a space to talk honestly about what it means to belong, and to be seen, as a woman in funeral service. Swap stories, share what’s worked, and leave with a little more confidence (and a few new connections) in your corner.  
Host: Lanae Strovers 
Audience: Women in funeral service 
Monday, October 26 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 
Day One Done Right: A Meet-Up for First-Timers & Students  
Whether you’re a student or brand new to the profession, this is your starting point for the week. Come build your schedule, ask questions, and meet other first-timers navigating convention for the first time together.  
Host: Morgan Johnson-Schlender and Reagan Masini 
Audience: First-time convention attendees and students in funeral service 
 
1:00 – 1:45 p.m. 
Where Are You Now? A Meet the Mentors Reunion 
Were you ever part of Meet the Mentors, as a mentor or a mentee? Come reconnect. This casual meet & greet is open to anyone from the program’s past. Swap updates on where your career has taken you since, and catch up with the people who were part of that journey. 
Host: Nicole Krause 
Audience: Open to anyone who’s participated in Meet the Mentors, past mentors and mentees alike. 
 
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. 
Women in Funeral Service | Dead Tired: Motherhood Meets Funeral Service 
Whether you’re raising toddlers or teenagers alongside a demanding career in funeral service, this is a space to talk honestly about what that balance actually looks like. Swap stories, share what’s gotten you through, and connect with others living the same “dead tired” reality. 
Host: Lanae Strovers 
Audience: Parents and caregivers in funeral service navigating the overlap of family life and a demanding profession
Tuesday, October 27 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. 
Pursuit of Excellence — Idea Exchange: What Could You Do in Your Community?  
Some of the best ideas in funeral service start with noticing a need, making a connection or simply asking, “What could we do?” Join NFDA and Pursuit of Excellence participants for an informal idea exchange featuring creative ways funeral homes are connecting with their communities — from grief support and education to partnerships, service projects and more. Come ready to share something that’s working in your community, or simply listen, borrow an idea and make it your own. Along the way, discover how these everyday examples of excellence are at the heart of NFDA’s Pursuit of Excellence Program. 
Host: Jessica Koth + POE Winners 
Audience: For anyone in funeral service who is looking to work more closely within their community. 
 
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. 
Hard Conversations, Right Words: Supporting Grieving Children 
Talking to grieving children is hard to get right. Come swap real language and real scenarios with partners from the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition and the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, drawing on the Foundation’s Youth & Funerals and When a Child Dies resources. Bring your toughest moments, and leave with words you can use. 
Host: Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition, National Alliance for Children’s Grief 
Audience: For anyone in funeral service who’s ever struggled to find the right words for a grieving child. 
 
Noon – 1:00 p.m. 
Owner to Owner: Navigating the Challenges 
Running a funeral home today comes with no shortage of challenges, succession planning, rising costs, staffing, competition, you name it. This is a candid, owner-to-owner conversation about what’s actually keeping you up at night and how others are navigating it. Come ready to share what you’re working through, or just listen in on what your peers are facing too. 
Hosts: Jeff Smith and Tim Copeland 
Audience: Funeral homeowners and operators 
 
1 – 1:45 p.m. 
Their Service Deserves Our Service: Guiding Veterans Towards Meaningful Civilian Careers Through Mentorship  
For a Service Member transitioning out of the military, a Veteran, or a Military Spouse, the right Mentor doesn’t just open a door. It can change the entire trajectory of a career or entrepreneurial journey. Come visit a ACP member service representative to learn how you can become a funeral professional mentor. 
Host: Jenny Tang 
Audience: Funeral Professionals who would like to become a mentor for veterans and military spouses. 
 
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. 
Leave the Ladder Down: Helping the Next Gen Rise 
Just because we had to “walk uphill both ways in the snow” doesn’t mean the next generation should have to. Leave the Ladder Down is a fun, honest look at how funeral service mentors can stop guarding the gate and start opening it—sharing what we’ve learned, creating opportunities, and helping the next generation find their place in our profession. We climbed the ladder. Now let’s leave it down. 
Host: Lanae Strovers 
Audience: For anyone in funeral service who is interested in mentoring and working with the next generations in funeral service. 
 
3:00 – 3:45 p.m. 
Private Event: Funeral Service Foundation — Cookies & Coffee with Convention Scholars 
Meet & greet for Trustees and Committee Members with 2026 NFDA Convention Scholars. 
Audience: Invite Only — NFDA Convention Scholars + Foundation Trustees and Committee Members   
Wednesday, October 28 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. 
Private Event: IMPACT 1000 Closes Out the Convention! 
A final toast to cap off an incredible week. Join fellow IMPACT 1000 members for coffee and mimosas as we celebrate everything this convention brought, and the impact you’ll keep making together in the year ahead. 
Audience: Members of IMPACT 1000 
 
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. 
Women | Been There, Learned That: Women Sharing Wisdom 
Every challenge in this room has been faced by someone else first. Jot yours down when you arrive, and we’ll put you with other women navigating the same thing, so you can swap what’s actually worked. Been there, learned that, now it’s your turn to hear it. 
Hosts: Lanae Strovers and Nicole Krause 
Audience: Women in funeral service  
 
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. 
Leadership | The Leader Within 
Explore the mindset, habits and choices that turn professionals into confident, effective leaders. Join Ruth and the emerging leaders to hear about their journey to becoming leaders within our profession. 
Host: Ruth Graczkowski 
Audience: For anyone in funeral service looking to grow as a leader — from first-time managers to seasoned directors. 
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