2019 NFDA International Convention & Expo
Visit Leap Tie at booth #653
For over 20 years, Leap Tie has helped funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries protect market share and seize new opportunities for growth.
Read more about why you should attend NFDA and get insider tips from your colleagues around the country. Plus share your own below. Be a part of the conversation!
Why Should You Attend NFDA?
Insights, Networking, Innovation
Gain New Insights
Learn new techniques for comforting families, increasing company comradery and how the smallest details can make all the difference. Choose from a variety of workshops or consult with the experts in the Leap Tie booth #653.
Explore New Funeral Customs
Expand your service repertoire to accommodate new and diverse traditions in your own community. The 2019 NFDA and its 20,000 members extend beyond the United States to 49 countries around the world.
Network with Peers
The death care profession is stressful and emotionally trying. The 2019 NFDA Conference & Expo in Chicago, IL is the perfect time to come together with those who understand the uniqueness of this profession.
Discover the Latest Innovations
To increase the level of comfort, care and satisfaction for those you serve, visit the exhibitor floor for groundbreaking new ideas. Leap Tie will be exhibiting integrated marketing strategies, proven to grow and protect market share at booth #653.
We'll be there.
For over 20 years, Leap Tie has helped funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries protect market share and seize new opportunities for growth.
Our team works to truly understand your market and custom-tailor a plan to achieve your goals.
We look forward to meeting with you at booth #653 at the 2019 NFDA Convention to learn more about your business and how we can help you succeed.
The Inside Scoop from Leaders in the Profession...
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? I have been to four, my first one was in Charlotte a few years ago.
What is the biggest change you have seen this year? Taking over full ownership, its been 2 years and I’m still learning.
When you are in Chicago what will be your favorite place to eat or fun thing to do while there? I am going to go to the Willis Tower Sky Deck.
What advice do you have for new attendees? I would say learn all you can, remember why you are there, market with other people.
Do you do community outreach? Yes we support and sponsor lots of groups. We love the art and memorial center
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? More families are wanting more and to also pay less.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 18
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Crescent Sales
Advise for attendees- Visit every booth.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? More crematories
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- Pizza Duo
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 6
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Scarf lady is always a hit. The bronze statue actor we love.
Advise for attendees- Attend all the seminars and go to one on each category. Be aware of booths like face cream sales people who are not a part of the profession. This helps us keep current and up to date. Walk the expo so you can see all the new products and offerings.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? Rise of cremation.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- Purple Pig I heard is amazing.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 4
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Any of the technology based vendors. We really want to utilize technology to our advantage in our service areas.
Advise for attendees- Pay attention to the class schedule and have a plan to attend as many as possible. Don’t be afraid to approach booths. Get as much information as possible and follow up with more questions on the last day of the convention.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? More and more families have having interest in Green Burial services.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- I’ve been to Chicago a few times; Navy Pier is a great place to visit and I really recommend going to Cloud Park.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 6
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? All of the talks, networking and walking the exhibit space.
Advise for attendees- Be curious, network and learn all you can.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? More families are taking less time to spend at the service.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- I have a good friend in Chicago and he has taken me to some great places. One I like is Sapori Trattoria.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 25
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? The hearse booths are a big draw, I like to get around to see all the new ones.
Advise for attendees- Check out the parties. It’s a great way to connect with old friends and make new ones.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? More cremation than in previous years.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- I love going to the real Uno’s Pizza downtown.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 20
What is the biggest change you have seen this year? Since we just joined with the Park Lawn company, we’ve experienced an increase in quality training, investment in our business and support. Our managers have been offered many new roles and opportunities for growth.
When you are in Chicago what will be your favorite place to eat or fun thing to do while there? Walk and shop the “ Mag Mile”. Find a great deep dish pizza joint.
What advice do you have for new attendees? Attend as many programs as possible; Stop by the Award area and look for new community service ideas . Check out the smaller booths, these companies have unique products and many times great deals.
Do you have strong competitors in your market? Do you feel you are positioned well against them? We have strong competitors in our Daviess County, Ohio County and Grayson Count markets.
Do you have the support of a marketing agency? With the help of PRECOA and Leap Tie, I feel our positioning is good.
Do you do community outreach? We do offer community outreach.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 35
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Look in all the booths to make sure I am not missing something
Advise for attendees- Listen, listen and ask questions. If there was a probing question at a meeting, explore the topic with that individual after the meeting. Also have two bags on the convention floor. One for import information and one for info to be polite. Our suppliers need us and we really need them.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? The funeral/ceremony is less of a priority to the families.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- Sites and sounds on Michigan Ave.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 41
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? We’re have many great companies we visit with and enjoy seeing Tukios.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- We like to do go downtown.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 4
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Tukios they are a lot of FUN to see!!
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- I love to jog or walk along the lake
Advice for new attendees– Make a plan, know what you want to accomplish.
Biggest Change you have seen in your industry this year- Challenges with family dynamics.
Community outreach– We do a lot- to name a few: Hospice care, helmet safety “Play it safe”, churches, caregivers and we help our local seniors.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 0
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? I’m really looking forward to Messenger and Batesville’s booths.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago-I’m looking forward to trying the hot dogs and we have a list of restaurants we will be going to also.
Advice for new attendees– I have it all mapped out and marked where I want to go and what I want to see. Have a plan, for sure because there is a lot to see.
Biggest Change you have seen in your industry this year- We have have seen more families recently choosing more traditional services.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 2
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? I usually stop by all the vendor booths we do business with. It’s a great opportunity to have a nice conversation with people you normally speak on the phone or email with.
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- Check out the Shopping Prestige Street! I’d also recommend going to the top Sears Tower. There’s also a restaurant at the top of the tower that’s great!
Advice for new attendees– Experience the whole conference! Have a nice hard sleep before you go; there’s so much to do you want have any time to sleep! Its a wonderful resource to check out everything new and innovative along with top notch speakers to gain cutting edge information and new findings.
Biggest Change you have seen in your industry this year- Use of Credit Cards by families. We’ve noticed a rising interest in purchasing keepsakes. Whether it be necklaces or any type of jewelry.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 20
What is the biggest change you have seen this year? People seem to be very cremation focused, short on time and are located all over the country.
When you are in Chicago what will be your favorite place to eat? I really love to look at all the new concepts that may or may not work, but stretch our thinking. I bought some items from Embalmers Supply and Milso last time that we really liked.
What advice do you have for new attendees?Take pride in our profession and work to treat every family like your own. So look for what can help families the most and listen.
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Matthews Aurora. Very innovative and forward thinking company. They always show exciting new personalization options that become available and educate us on how to best merchandise our selections to families.
How many conventions have you attended? 1
Any advise for attendees? Look around.
Do you do community outreach? Yes
What is the biggest change you have seen I your industry this year? Church services
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 2
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Depends
Advise for attendees- Try to take it all in
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? With just buying this new funeral home established in 1846 everything!!!
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 10
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? I like them all and get around to see everything.
Advise for attendees- Just have fun and enjoy.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? Keeping staffed at the level we need to support our business.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 25
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? I like to visit the vendors, attend the workshops and network with everyone.
Advise for attendees- I like to visit the vendors, attend the workshops and network with everyone.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? Managing time and staff allocation to ensure all our families receive the highest level of services.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? 20
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Every year I look forward to seeing Ed, Michael and Reggie at Funeralocity.
Advise for attendees- Be curious and keep an open mind; speak to everyone and have follow up questions.
What is the biggest change you have seen in your industry this year? The needs of families are always changing, so we go above and beyond to serve their needs.
How many NFDA conventions have you attended? I have been to every one in the past 15-16 years.
When you are in Chicago what will be your favorite place to eat? I like to eat at Chop House, they have the best steaks.
What advice do you have for new attendees? I personally breeze the entire convention the first day, second day I’ll revisit the booths I liked and wanted to check out. I’d also say do your research and here’s a tip… don’t buy anything until the end of convention, that’s when items go on sale.
Besides Leap Tie, what one booth or activity do you always have to see? Funeral 1, they have the best draw and really reel you in. Also, I’m a tech guy and they have lots of that at their booth
How many conventions have you attended? We go yearly
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- Dine with Business partners not much time for fun.
Advise for attendees- Wear comfortable shoes!
One booth you want to do each year- No one stands out- LeapTie
Do you do community outreach? Yes we offer educational classes.
How many conventions have you attended? 30
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- We are probably going to Billy Goats.
Advise for attendees- Take the time to really look at the details and make good decisions.
One booth you want to do each year or Favorite booth/activity- Networking and talking with other owners.
What is the biggest change you have seen in you industry? Educating people about really valuing services.
How many conventions have you attended? 40
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- We are probably going to Billy Goats and I like to go to the “next best” chophouse, so I can get in for dinner.
Advise for attendees- Wear comfortable shoes and bring a fanny pack.
One booth you want to do each year or Favorite booth/activity- I like to look at the hearses and Tukios.
What is the biggest change you have seen in you industry? We like to meet with families in person and so we work to present our services over the phone, so we can have that time in person.
How many conventions have you attended? 0
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- I’m hoping to see downtown area.
Advise for attendees- I’ve done all my research and know what I want to see. There is a lot to do and I have a plan to get to everything on my list.
One booth you want to do each year or Favorite booth/activity- All of them! Legacytouch Jewelry, Tukios and caskets. I’m really looking forward to the session on embalming, to learn more.
What is the biggest change you have seen in you industry? Funerals are more casual now than in the past.
How many conventions have you attended? 3
What is your fun thing to do in Chicago- The downtown has a lot of great local restaurants and I’m looking forward to shopping.
Advise for attendees- Download the app and keep up to date on everything happening during the event.
One booth you want to do each year or Favorite booth/activity- I love to learn form others attending the event. I’m also looking forward to this years sessions.
What is the biggest change you have seen in you industry? Maintaining and caring for our staff is important, so they provide great service to families.
