Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 2012 International Convention & Expo, held October 7-10 in Charlotte, N.C., drew 5,816 total attendees and 387 exhibiting companies.

 

“We were very pleased that our preregistration numbers going into Charlotte were on par with our preregistration numbers for the New Orleans Convention,” said NFDA CEO Christine Pepper, CAE. “The growth in our convention participation in recent years speaks to the value funeral professionals find in attending the NFDA Convention, which features the world’s largest funeral service expo. When we plan our convention, we design it with programs to help attendees achieve more in their business, their community and their lives.”

 

“Charlotte was a wonderful host city and we are grateful to the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association for their assistance and generous hospitality,” said Pepper. “We appreciate the many fine workshop presenters who took time to share their expertise. We’re thankful for the many vendors who make our expo the largest in the world and help attendees discover the products and services they can use to better serve families. We appreciate the support of our sponsors who are our true partners and help make this convention an invaluable experience.”

 

Pepper continued, “Most of all, we’re grateful to all the funeral professionals who attended the Convention, especially those who came for the first time. NFDA offers access to the largest network of funeral service experts in the world, which was on full display in Charlotte. Our Convention is strengthened by the presence of thousands of funeral professionals who are eager to learn from and share ideas with their colleagues from 43 countries around the world.”

 

Anticipation for next year’s NFDA International Convention & Expo is already building. Nearly 260 exhibiting companies have already secured booth space for the 2013 Convention, which will take place October 20-23 in Austin, Texas. Suppliers purchased 75,300 square feet of exhibit space for next year’s gathering in a city that is known as the live music capital of the world, offering world-class dining, top-flight golf, top-notch history and art museums, and more.

 

“NFDA members in Texas and the Texas Funeral Directors Association are looking forward to giving attendees a big Texas welcome,” concluded Pepper.

 

More information about the 2013 NFDA International Convention & Expo in Austin, including information for supplier representatives interested in exhibiting at the world’s leading and largest annual funeral service exposition and individuals wishing to present workshops, can be found on the NFDA Convention website, www.nfda.org/austin2013.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 19,700 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and 39 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.