By Joey Haas
Transcript from our video interview with Troy Blewett and Anthony Kaniuk at NFDA.
Heather:
Hi everyone. And thanks for checking in with us at Funeral Innovations: Trends, Tips and Technology, where we chat with leaders in the profession to discuss marketing trends, business tips, and technology innovation. Plus, we discuss how digital marketing helps you better serve your families. I’m Heather Mierzejewski. I am the director of marketing here at Funeral Innovations.
Joey:
And I’m Joey, I’m the marketing and design coordinator at Funeral Innovations.
Heather:
And today we’re happy to have two folks from NFDA with us. We have Oh, I lost my other script, so sorry we have Troy Blewett and Anthony Kaniuk. Do you guys want to just introduce yourselves and tell us who you are at NFDA?
Troy:
Sure. I’m Troy Blewett. I’m the senior VP of communications.
Anthony:
I’m Anthony Kaniuk, director of industry relations.
Heather:
Awesome. So to get us started can you just tell us a little bit about NFDA. What’s NFDA is mission and how long have you been serving the profession?
Troy:
Wow, sure. NFDA is, is the world’s largest funeral organization. And our mission is to serve our funeral director members as they serve their families and their communities in the best way that they can. And we do that by providing information, advocacy and education that helps them perform their jobs better.
Joey:
Terrific. And how long have you been serving in the profession? How long has NFDA been around all that?
Troy:
I believe, and Anthony I don’t know if you have the exact date, but it was like 1898 or something like that.
Anthony:
It’s the second oldest association in the world I believe.
Heather:
Wow.
Troy:
Yeah. And, and I believe it’s the most continuous yes in terms of time.
Joey:
That’s awesome. So because of the pandemic, NFDA is holding its 2020 annual meeting virtually. Can you describe what this will look like and kind of what attendees can expect out of the conference?
Troy:
Sure, sure. So we’ve, we’ve invested in, in a virtual platform, like a lot of people have for their virtual meetings, but that platform is going to let you jump in and to the best of our ability, allow you to continue to interact with our keynote speakers, with some dynamic education sessions we’re going to have. You’re going to be able to select up to nine CE credits from a total of 18 education sessions from which you can choose. Plus the three keynote speakers, the daily keynote, there’s a 24/7 expo hall. You’ll be able to interact in that expo hall, through email and chat. And in fact for a couple of hours each day, you’ll be able to directly through Zoom talk with any exhibitor booth staff. So we’re trying to make it as close to, you know, in the virtual environment, but make as much direct interaction as we possibly can. Anthony, Did you have anything to throw in?
Anthony:
I think the important part is, you know, with was this virtual. I mean, now we always hear that, oh, you know, onsite people always say, oh, I wish my staff member was here. Right? So now there’s a perfect opportunity for them to get their staff involved. So this is a great opportunity for you to close off that arrangement room and actually have people come in and view these sessions and get educated. And then as the leader of your organization, you can actually sit down with them right after and have a conversation with them about it.
Heather:
So in lots of years when it’s a travel required, it’s just too expensive to send everybody. But this time it really provides you have time. There’s less time, less investment in terms of cost. And yeah, that’s a really great point. And then you can make it a discussion right then, which is awesome.
Troy:
Absolutely. And the cost is $199, but for the second member of your firm and on from that it’s $99. So it’s, it’s really affordable at, and especially for people that need CE credits they’re able to walk away for a really really economical price and getting CE credits.
Anthony:
Yes. And if you’re a student it’s only $25, so a student has a perfect opportunity to learn the more, you know, and actually be involved. That’s great. Yeah. That’s terrific.
Joey:
So for people that haven’t done a virtual conference, why should people still attend? Like, you know, obviously it’s a little bit different and you’ve touched on that a little, little bit, but for anyone who hasn’t done that already, what, why would you say is the biggest reason that people should still, should still come?
Troy:
I think the reason is, is that there’s going to be a ton of information, a ton of education opportunity and including we’re also throwing in some networking. So if you’ve normally got a convention, you’re going to miss the serendipity of missing somebody in the hallway and running into them and all of that. But, but you’ve still got the full opportunity to hear new ideas, to hear leading business ideas, to sharpen your skills. So, you know, knowledge is limitless and, and yeah, we all like being in person, but the situation is the way it is. And I think as, as someone dedicated to your profession there’s just a host of opportunity to capture ideas, learn new things and, and just brush up on some things.
Anthony:
Also, we know there’s also a huge reward for you guys to attending to. I mean, there’s over $5,000 worth of gifts and prizes that you can get from just, you know, just being there and attending and going through the process of learning. And that’s one of the benefits that we have also.
Heather:
Those are the gifts that NFDA are giving away?
Anthony:
Yeah. And it’s, yeah, it’s a bunch of gift cards that we’re giving away a bunch of prizes of the big, big giveaway that we do. What, there’s also other prizes that people like. I mean, I know Homesteaders Life I mean it’s giving away a Peloton Bike and you visit three of their booths. So and that’s awesome. I mean, there’s other people that are giving away things with this platform. Also anyone that any exhibitor that is giving away a booth give away or anything like that has the opportunity to put it in their booth, but more so, our platform will also have a dedicated page each day that will show you who’s doing giveaways that day.
Heather:
Yeah. So they can check in on that and then visit the booth that corresponds with the gift each day. We’ll give a, we’re have some giveaways too, so people should definitely visit our booth.
Troy:
I might add that the Service of Remembrance will still be done on Thursday. And so that’s a great opportunity to honor our funeral service colleagues, family, and friends that have passed away over the last year.
Heather:
Can you just talk a little more about what that is for people who may not know?
Troy:
Anthony?
Anthony:
The service remembrance is for people that have lost their life or loved ones in our industry that has lost a loved one. And what we do is we put and it always gets bigger and bigger. We always dedicate that time for those people to also mourn their loved ones. So it’s a very touching ceremony that we do. So I, I highly recommend people that go there and get involved with it. I really do.
Heather:
But having remembrance services during times of social distancing has been a big theme among our clients. So what a great way to still be able to incorporate that virtually I know it’s really important to people.
Anthony:
Yeah. We have a good theme this year, too. I mean, we, we’re concentrating on you know first responders and loved ones in that realm. So it’s going to be very, very touching.
Heather:
So for anyone who’s never attended one of these conferences, do you have a like a recommendations for how they can get the most out of it? Things they should do or not do?
Troy:
Sure. I, I think in this case, we’re everyone that registers for the convention, we’re going to let you into the platform early. So you’ll receive at the end of this week your, all of your password and your login information, as well as the video tutorial on how to get around the platform. So to get the most out of that platform I think it’s a great opportunity for you to go in, navigate around, get used to it, see what’s going on in the expo hall and just familiarize yourself with it so that you’re able to, you know, go through all the education things you want to, you know, you can get a preview, go through the sessions you want sign up for the sessions you want. And really take a look at the different things that are being offered. So you can, you know, make sure that you’re able to do get the most out of you can. Additionally, this platform is open 24/7. So while there’s while it’s virtual in virtual live, if you will, during the day, all of the sessions are recorded and you can go back and rewatch something you watched or watch something perhaps that you didn’t get a chance to see, you know, you maybe during one of the education sessions, there’s three classes offered every education session. So you pick one that you want for CE credit, but maybe there’s another one that you think is, would be really interesting to learn more about. You can go back and watch that then. And that whole area, including the expo booth is open through October 30th.
Heather:
Oh, that’s terrific.
Anthony:
We always get calls. It’s so funny. Cause we get calls after the convention all the time saying, oh, I remember this booth. It was a green booth in the first half. You know, do you remember what company it is? So now that everybody will have our attendees love the gold back in and it gets to a more research
Heather:
That’s terrific. And I think Troy, maybe what you were one of the things you were saying when you were talking about going back and watching things, do people have to be in person for the CE credit, but they can watch?
Troy:
They do have to be in person for the CE credit and there will be a small you know, you log in, you have to be in for 50 minutes of the course and then there will be a small evaluation at the end, but you can still go back and watch other classes for the knowledge that that’s there, you know. Different states have different requirements that require you to be there live, but you still have the at least have access to the information
Heather:
Yeah. That’s terrific. And that’s good information for people to know ahead of time. So they can really plan their day around where they need to get that CE credit.
Troy:
And in the platform, everybody is allowed to create their own schedule. So you’re allowed to go in and that’s why I encourage people to go in early for, to learn navigation because you can fill in your own schedule and then just follow that throughout the course of the event.
Joey:
That’s great. Yeah. I think that planning ahead aspect is, is really nice and will, you know, obviously help people make the most out of their time and keep them focused and which is good.
Anthony:
So that’s the important part, keeping focused, right? Cause people will say, Oh, you know, I’m going to be in my funeral home up here. Well, you know what? You would have blocked out the time anyway that you were going to be away right. For the, for the site. So block out that time, still say, tell your staff, listen, I’m going to be at the NFTA convention. I’m going to block out this time. And matter of fact, I’m going to block out this time, but you know what, after I’m done, I want you to block out some of your time to watch some of these other things. So it gives them an opportunity to, I will say, block out some time and be really focused.
Joey:
Definitely, definitely. So could you guys talk a little bit about who is speaking at the convention and kind of what topics people can look forward to?
Troy:
Absolutely love to. Our keynote speaker, the first day is Simon Sinek talking about The Infinite Game. So yeah, Simon, Simon is one of the leading business speakers out there today and, and his view of how to run a business so that you, you get a lot out of it and you leave it with more than, you know, when you leave, you still leave it with more versus, you know, just worrying about, you know, finite things like what’s the market say or what were our numbers this quarter? It’s more about the holistic view of the company. Micah Solomon is one of the leading… there it is, Ignore Your Customers. Yeah. He’s one of the leading customer service advocates out there today. And Brett Culp is a filmmaker. And so all of them are, are just to have some wonderful messages and, and tons of great business business things that tips and tricks that will help you improve what you’re doing.
Anthony:
Micah is a senior writer for Forbes Magazine. Also, he did an article about a month or two ago with a few funeral directors on myself in Forbes. And it was a great article for customer service.
Troy:
I shouldn’t add that there’s, there’s some great education sessions and I’m just going to give you a few names, but some of these folks have been at convention before, but what they’ve been incredibly popular and they always come back with a new message. Kaiser and Bender are gonna be there. Michael Sharkey is going to be there talking about staying out of the courthouse. Just a, a wide variety of, of sessions on cremation and embalming. So, you know, kind of sharpening the back wheel skills or the front wheels skills, just depending on what you’re looking for.
Anthony:
Some of the entertaining things that we’re doing, we have a therapy dog race. That’s going to be really great. We have a mental list that is going to be available to people. So there’s a lot of fun entertainment things too. So when you want to need to take that break, you know, and everyone needs to take that break from the, you know, from the screen that you go and the restart of those kinds of things as well.
Heather:
It sounds like a lot of really interesting options for people. And I’m really excited about Simon Sinek. I followed him for a long time. And I have to say that as a vendor, I almost never get to go to those because I’m busy with the booth and networking and stuff like that. So this is it’s exciting for me to be able to watch some of the other presentations this year.
Anthony:
If you’re a Simon fan, I don’t know if you if you listen to his podcast, but he recently did a podcast with a sister, Sarah. I highly recommend you go back and you listen to that podcast. It’s all about grief.
Heather:
Oh, I will. I will go and listen to it. He’s he’s really terrific.
Troy:
Yes. I think the other thing everyone should know is that all of these speakers, the Q and A with them is live. So even though this is a virtual convention, all of the speakers are there answering the questions you’re putting in the chat box on a live basis. So it’s an, it’s a chance to ask them whatever you want. That’s very cool, great.
Joey:
Chat a little bit about who can attend the convention and how people register?
Troy:
Sure. you know, anybody can attend, NFDA member or nonmember, funeral service folks. In other parts of the industry, you can register by going to nfda.org. And just looking up our convention. You can register right online. And again, as I, as I mentioned, there’s a if you’re a member with several people, you know, that you want from your firm there, there’s a price break after that first person. So but generally speaking it’s, it’s a very affordable.
Anthony:
It’s great opportunity really for everyone, especially if you know, I’m in a front, I really get together and really do it all together. Right. I mean, have a pizza party, you meet your staff, you know, turn, you know, turn the monitor on, talk about it, you know, ask questions to your staff. This is a great opportunity for that to happen.
Heather:
I think that’s a great point. And I’ll ask you what you’re most excited about for the conference. Just like if you had to pick one thing, what would that be? But I will tell you that. So I’ve been at funeral innovations for two years. I’m new to the business, to the profession, but the NFDA conference was my very first day on the job, I think it two years ago. So they flew me in just to go to the conference. And then I actually didn’t start work for another week, but it was, it was such a great opportunity as my first exposure.
Anthony:
Sounds familiar, huh Troy?
Troy:
Yeah, it does!
Heather:
Did you do that too?
Troy:
Pretty much. Yeah, pretty much. It’s a great introduction.
Heather:
So what are you guys most excited about for the conference?
Anthony:
I think I would have to say, you know, Simon is probably up there, you know, cause I’m a big fan of Simon’s as well. And I followed for a number of years and I think for any, for this year in 2020, if we were to have anybody during this time is definitely someone like Simon, so is very optimistic you know, to the future. So my hope is that he’ll get that point across very clearly here.
Troy:
Yeah. I’m a big follower of Simon too, but since that’s already taken I, I think what I would say I’m most excited about the fact that everyone can interact with the speakers and ask questions and get answers right then and there. And, and you can, you know, it, it, I think it, a lot of cases in, Anthony’s been on a lot of virtual conventions this year as well virtual meetings the, you know, we all love to be there in person, but I think when you can’t, I think this convention is going to offer you as many opportunities to ask questions and network as is possible when you’re in a different environment. So I’m excited about that.
Joey:
That’s great. Yeah. That, that level of interaction is important. And obviously I think a lot of people are excited to see kind of how that develops and in this format. And you know, obviously there’s been a lot of changes since the pandemic, you know, things going virtual as one of them. Are there any recent trends you’ve seen that funeral professionals should be paying attention to that, you know, you’d like to share?
Troy:
Well, I think, I think just this idea of a virtual communication is, is huge, obviously. You know, depending on what the, the rules for busy doing business were in your state. I think a lot of funeral homes have found that, you know, from, from virtual initial meetings with families to, for the arrangement conference to live streaming services so that people can see them this is a technology that’s, that’s gonna be part of our business and will it, you know, that, that replacing the other part of our business, but, but adding on, and I, I think that Anthony and I have talked about this, that this, this, unfortunately not through a great situation with COVID, but one of the things that it has done is maybe it’s moved our curve ahead a couple of years, you know, and it’s forced us to look into some of these new technologies that are out there that can, I think can work hand in hand with the way we’ve always done business. It’s just another addition to the way we serve families.
Anthony:
Yeah. I think, I think the other thing to think about too, is that, you know, when you talk to a family, the family doesn’t have to make that what they feel is that dreaded walk into the funeral home right? Now, you can do it right in their own, in their own home. You can actually help on a screen and talk to them right there. And especially when there’s multiple people there, whether it be a granddaughter and a niece and nephew, any one of those that really want to get behind making the service, great service can also be there to help them. And again, if families are in multiple locations, you know, other states, it’s a great opportunity for you to all hop on one call and say, hey, what can we help you with? What are you looking to get out of this? What can I help? How can we celebrate this person’s life? Like here are some things that we have done here is, you know, please include some of the things that you want to have.
Heather:
Great points, I think along these same lines. Are there any predictions that you guys could make for the rest of the year next spring, things that you’re anticipating changing or happening for the next six months or so?
Anthony:
Well, I think, I think you’re definitely gonna find some people that are not accepting these technologies that may be looking to retire and get out of the business, will be getting out of the business faster. And I think the people that are more adept to accepting technology and it, and really using it to their advantage of other opportunities, cause there’s a lot of opportunity you’re here right now, especially in that realm. Right? So those people that are optimistic will flourish and you’ll see that probably in probably six to eight months. You’ll see that even more so as we get, I hate to say, use the word back to normal. Cause I don’t think while we’re going back, I don’t like that word going back to normal. I think as we move forward and take this, take a step forward, I think that’s probably the more likely of, of those people being more optimistic.
Heather:
I love that. And I I’d like to reiterate that I keep hearing over and over from people. What you’re doing now is going to set you up for your success in six months or eight months. I just really hope people hear that.
Anthony:
Well you know, a funeral services, notorious for you know, looking at technology, you know, and not really looking at it from the forefront, but I think like, like Troy said, I think it’s, it has sped us up great deal. A lot of people now, I mean, I’ll give you, I’ll give you an example. We always had a website license, you know, for webcasting, right? So the webcasting license went through the roof starting in March, April. Right. But again, it was, it was always there. So, you know, they didn’t really utilize it that much, but now that they had to use it now, they’re like, oh, this is great. And now that’s a great advantage for a funeral home now to say, Hey, we can offer this service. We have this capability, you know, so now anybody from the United States can view your mom, grandmother’s, great grandfather’s funeral. And I guess to the other point of that is, it’s not a lack of respect of not going to the funeral. You know, it’s the respect of now I can be included in the funeral. I mean, it’s not half glass, half empty, half full, for sure.
Heather:
For sure. Anything you want to add Troy or different?
Troy:
Well, I would just add that. I think everyone should, should look at this technology and embrace it as another tool. It, it, it doesn’t change or take away from anything you’re doing. It just adds to your arsenal. And I, I think we, we often look at things that are different as kind of threats and, and I think looking at it this way, you know, looking at it as just another opportunity can change your perspective on how quickly you’re willing to adopt something. And frankly there’s an old, old book out there called Megatrends. And but one of the things in that was way back when that book was written, you know back when Jesus was in my dorm room, the big thing about that technology that the author wrote about was how was how there was high tech and high touch. And almost always as technology, as higher and higher technology came into play, there was another soft side of more touch that came into play. And it was the way they melded those two things together to serve their customers. Those were the people that won. And I think we’re there again. You know, it’s, it’s probably been at least 20 years since that book was written, but I think we’re there again where we’re a way for us to touch families in a greater way, it’s going to be some of this technology
Joey:
Really interesting. Yeah. And I think that that’s a great prediction. So we have one last question. This is the question we ask everybody. What is the biggest lesson you each have learned since serving in this profession?
Anthony:
Wow. I guess I would say the biggest thing. I learned one of the biggest things. I mean, I’ve been in here now 20 years in this profession, I would have to say patience is one. And the other one I would say, I always say is actually, don’t be afraid to fail. Right. I mean, people always say, you know, if I did this right now, I don’t know what’s going to work. Okay. Well, if it doesn’t work, okay, move up. Don’t dwell on it. Move on. You know, that’s, that’s, that’s one of the things I can say and test, test, test, test. You’re not going to know until you test it and you try it. So, I mean, especially in a funeral, I know people are afraid all, if I test something that doesn’t work, what’s going to happen. The worst thing I have is not going to work. That’s it, that’s it really.
Troy:
I haven’t been in funeral service for quite as long as Anthony, I’ve been a, about a year and a half in this industry. And I would say, say maybe the thing I’ve learned that I didn’t realize before was what heroes funeral directors, and funeral service people really are their communities.
Joey:
Absolutely. Yeah, definitely. It is a very under appreciated job for sure. Those are all the questions we have for you guys. So thank you so much, Troy and Anthony for joining us today, we really appreciate your time. And thanks for joining us this week on Funeral Innovations: Trends, Tips, and Technology. So we’ll be posting this video on our blog, on our YouTube channels, and you’ll be able to access it on your Facebook feed. And we’ll be back with another show soon, so check back in with us next week. If you have any topics you’d like to see discussed or anyone you’d like to hear from in an interview, add it in the comments down below and be sure to visit our website at funeralinnovations.com. Thanks so much you guys.
Heather:
Thanks so much.
