Future Focused: CANA's 2026 Cremation Symposium

Professionals Gather in Las Vegas this February 25-27, 2026

WHEELING, IL— Explore today’s trends, reflect on current challenges, generate new ideas, and discover future opportunities! The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) returns to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino to help your businesses achieve a bright future. Join CANA this February 25-27, 2026, for the 2026 Cremation Symposium.

CANA events are known for providing opportunities for owners and managers from across the profession to gather fresh, practical ideas that make a difference in their businesses. The 2026 Symposium will showcase sessions that generate solutions and set up conversations that carry over to networking, shared meals, and roundtables. CANA’s presenters will embrace the Symposium’s theme—Future Focused—but don’t worry if your own crystal ball is cloudy. We’ll be sure to address today’s challenges—like emerging disposition methods, low-cost competitors, unclaimed remains, AI and more—so you can uncover strategies that bring your future success into focus.

As an attendee, you’ll bask in the splendor of the newly renovated Versailles Tower of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The iconic cobblestone pathways are lined with delicious restaurants, exciting nightlife, and fun experiences. It’s all just steps away from the CANA Symposium event, under softly lit ceilings painted to emulate the Parisian sky. This combination of luxury and convenience is just $209 per night.

Registration prices for the 2026 Cremation Symposium are only $695 for the first registration and $495 for each additional employee; spouses/travel companions pay $350.

Registration includes:

Networking at the Opening Reception on Wednesday where your first drink is on CANA!

Sumptuous breakfasts on Thursday and Friday (well worth the early hour!)

All-day coffee and beverages to keep your energy flowing

Delicious Thursday lunch

Evenings on your own to enjoy Las Vegas your way

Up to 7 Hours CE from the APFSP

The intimate networking experience you love about CANA events

Opening our event is Larry Stuart, Jr., Founder & Principal of Raven Plume Consulting and an internationally recognized expert in funeral service, cemetery operations, and cremation. In his keynote session, Beyond the Flame: How Today’s Trends Are Shaping Cremation’s Next 150 Years, Larry reflects on 150 years of cremation practice and explores what the next 150 years could hold for our profession. From sustainability and technology to shifting family dynamics and memorial expectations, he’ll help you apply strategic foresight principles to anticipate opportunities, innovations, and challenges for cremation professionals in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

A panel of legal and regulatory experts take the stage to discuss the Legal and Ethical Strategies for Unclaimed Remains. Tim Koch, Owner of Metro First Call and former Mortician Investigator for the State of Minnesota of 20 years; Tanya Marsh, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law; Lara Price, Shareholder at Pappas Grubbs Price and CANA Legal Counsel; and, Wendy Russell Wiener, Managing Member of WRW Legal, PLLC, will uncover the hidden risks of unclaimed remains and help you learn how to protect your organization while honoring those left in your care.

Cemetery experts from coast-to-coast will then tackle Cremation’s Role in Cemetery Financial Sustainability, moderated by Larry Stuart, Jr. Dan Applegate, President of The Arlington Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home; Steve Brown, Senior Director of Mount Auburn Cemetery; and, Sandra Walker, Chief Operating Officer of Fairmount Memorial Association, will discuss trends in consumer attitudes toward cremation memorialization and share success stories in revenue diversification that can bring new memorialization options to the families you serve into the future.

For five decades, the American death care industry has seen a steady movement away from casket burial and towards cremation. But what if the ground is shifting beneath our feet? In her session, Tomorrow’s Consumers in Focus: Casket Burial Gains Ground Among Younger Adults, Tanya Marsh, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, highlights some of the big-picture results of the 2025 Wake Forest Law School study on consumer preferences in disposition methods across different demographics. She’ll help you explore proactive strategies to understand and adapt so you can honor a wider spectrum of final wishes and support every family.

In Really Thriving or Just Surviving: How to Work Smarter and Build Wealth, Kara Ludlum, CPA and licensed funeral director, shares insights on how once financially strong funeral homes and cemeteries are now struggling amid changing industry dynamics and a persistent self-sacrificing culture. She’ll bring a practical roadmap to restore profitability and sustainability through strategies to manage inflation, leverage financing options, strengthen preneed programs, and move beyond burnout toward long-term financial health and business resilience.

The future is bright when it comes to AI and the efficiencies it can bring. A panel of experts take the stage to share practical capabilities, case studies—and some cautionary tales—about AI usage in death care. The AI Panel features Lauren Pettine, Senior Associate at WRW Legal, PLLC; Curtis Funk, Founder of Tukios; and, Kris Yee, Co-Founder & CEO of Prelude.

Take steps to transform your hospice relationships into strategic partnerships generating measurable results. Lacy Robinson, Sr. Business Consultant at Johnson Consulting Group, shares strategies to help you authentically connect with and support hospice care team members and leave with actionable frameworks in Advanced Hospice Partnership Strategies.

Time to network is what makes a CANA event unique. In addition to the intimate atmosphere and meals, the crowd-favorite Roundtables session brings attendees face-to-face with session presenters and leaders from across funeral service in all business models, locales, experience levels, and call. Get a seat at the table as we tackle today’s challenges and share solutions.

Put your business’s future success in focus. The 2026 Cremation Symposium shows you how.

Registration is open to join CANA for the 2026 Cremation Symposium February 25-27, 2026, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Register to attend at cremationassociation.org/future.

Act soon and save: use promo code CYBERCANA to take advantage of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale with 10% off your full registration!

About CANA

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.