BROOKFIELD, WIS. – The National Funeral Directors Association's 2009 International Convention & Expo, which was Oct. 25-28 in Boston, drew 6,056 total attendees and 365 exhibiting companies. Moreover, anticipation for next year’s event in New Orleans resulted in the association selling more than 61 percent of the NFDA 2010 Expo floor in three days, according to a news release by NFDA.
The breakdown for the 2009 NFDA International Convention & Expo attendance is as follows:
Total attendance: 6,056
• Attendee registration: 3,918, the highest in more than a decade
• Exhibitor/supplier registrations: 2,138, representing 365 exhibiting companies
Attendees classified their positions within funeral service as follows:
• Owners: 54.3 percent
• Managers: 22.2 percent
Staff: 14.5 percent
In addition to owning/operating a funeral home, attendees indicated that they also own/operate the following businesses:
• Monument company: 48.3 percent
• Crematory: 47.4 percent
• Cemetery: 33.5 percent
• Insurance company: 25.4 percent
• Flower shop: 19.1 percent
“Despite challenging economic times, record numbers of funeral professionals attended NFDA’s premier annual event to discover practical solutions they can immediately implement in their businesses to increase profitability, secure their future and better serve the evolving needs of families,” said NFDA CEO Christine Pepper.
During this year’s convention, exhibitors and suppliers were given the opportunity to select exhibit space for NFDA’s 2010 International Convention & Expo, Oct. 10-13 in New Orleans. In three days, 155 suppliers exhibiting in Boston purchased 61.6 percent percent of the available exhibit space for next year’s gathering in “The Crescent City,” another record for the association. In addition, 11 exhibiting companies increased the size of their NFDA Expo space.
For more information about NFDA’s 2010 International Convention & Expo in New Orleans, including information for businesses interested in exhibiting at the world’s largest annual funeral service exposition, visit www.nfda.org/NewOrleans2010.
Posted Dec. 9