So, you’ve decided to host an advance planning seminar at your funeral home.

 

Great! What comes next?

 

Hosting an impactful seminar begins long before the first guest walks through your doors. It starts with weeks of planning, preparation, and coordination, all focused on creating a great event for families.

 

Patrick Zalusky, Owner of Laker Planning Service, recently shared his expertise on The Director's Playbook podcast. He put it perfectly when he said, “You win a football game in practice. It's what you do going into the game that helps you to win it.”

 

In other words, hosting an effective seminar takes time and work behind the scenes.

 

However, hosting a great advance planning seminar isn’t impossible, either. Any funeral home can do it! You just have to know where to start.

 

In this blog, we’ll walk you through 4 key areas to consider when hosting an advance planning seminar.

 

 

1. How to plan a successful seminar

 

Define your goals

 

Before you can plan a successful advance planning seminar, you need to define what the goal is for your funeral home.

 

Whether you want to grow your preneed program or build relationships with families, it’s important to understand what your desired outcome is from the event.

Here are a few common goals for advance planning seminars:

  • Generate preneed leads

  • Educate families

  • Build trust and credibility

  • Book preplanning appointments

  • Connect with families

  • Improve brand awareness

 

Once you’ve defined your goals, you can start planning an event that will help you reach them.

 

Choose a topic and speaker

 

Now it’s time to decide on a presentation topic and figure out who should lead the conversation.

 

We’ve seen that families appreciate learning about preplanning, but they also want to learn more about other topics.

 

Here are 5 popular preplanning topics:

 

And here are 5 popular topics your families may also be interested in learning more about:

  • Identity theft and fraud prevention

  • Practical approaches to financial planning

  • Understanding Medicare

  • Overcoming grief and finding hope in loss

  • Senior health and nutrition tips

 

Be sure to choose topics you know will connect with your families. Just be sure your topics help you reach your goals!

 

Confirm the logistics

 

The next step is finalizing the details.

 

From the date and time to the location, there’s a lot to consider. Make sure every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed with this list:

  • Confirm the date and time of your event

  • Double-check the venue availability if you aren’t hosting the event at your funeral home

  • Make sure materials like handouts, slides, and sign-in sheets are printed

  • Have a plan for food, drinks, plates, cups, napkins, and more

 

 

2. How to promote your event

 

Pair traditional outreach with digital marketing

 

Now that you’ve planned and prepared for your event, it’s time to get the word out!

 

While it’s important to promote your event online, direct mail remains one of the most effective ways to reach families. As Pat says, “We're not at the point yet where we can’t mail anything and just promote the seminar on social media.”

 

So, to best promote your event, you need a good mix of digital and traditional marketing strategies:

  • Mail flyers, postcards, and other reminders to families in your community

  • Ask local churches and other businesses if you can hang up flyers and posters in their buildings

  • Post about your event on social media

  • Include event details on your website

By combining traditional outreach with digital marketing, you can meet families where they are and maximize RSVPs.

 

Send timely reminders

 

After you’ve promoted your event, the next step is following up with registrants.

 

We all know how easily things can slip our minds, and the same is true for the families who plan to attend your seminar. That’s why timely reminders are key to a successful event.

 

Pat recommends “calling every single person the day before the seminar to remind them about the program.”

 

If families don’t answer your call, you can also send a text, email, or even share a post on social media to keep your event top of mind.

 

Following up with registrants boosts attendance and shows families that you’re organized and committed to helping them take the next step in their preplanning journey.

 

 

3. How to host an engaging seminar

 

Create a warm, welcoming environment

 

Your seminar is more than an event. It’s an opportunity to build relationships between you, your funeral home, your staff, and the families in your community.

 

Rather than treating the event like a formal or transactional presentation, focus on creating an atmosphere that feels friendly, welcoming, and approachable.

 

Here are a few simple ways to create an inviting environment:

  • Greet guests at the door

  • Engage in casual conversation before the program begins

  • Give families a tour of your funeral home

This approach helps break down emotional barriers and makes attendees feel comfortable in what might otherwise be an intimidating or unfamiliar setting.

 

As Pat explains, “People don't frequent funeral homes, so if we can get somebody in your building, now, when they think of a funeral home, that image comes into their mind.”

 

Tips for presenting

 

The most important part of any seminar is the presentation, so it’s essential to be prepared.

 

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your presentation:

 

Prepare and avoid improvising

 

“You need to know what your first words out of your mouth are going to be. You need to know what order you're going to present in,” Pat said. “You need to know the last thing you're going to say and what you’re going to ask attendees to do at the end of the program.”

 

Save questions for the end

 

“We don't take any questions during the presentation,” Pat said. “We tell everyone, we're going to do a question-and-answer session at the end. And if someone asks a question before then, you want to say something like ‘Yes, and I can talk to you a little bit more about that afterward.’”

 

Start and end with the same slide

 

“At the beginning of our presentation, we ask everyone to look at this event as a starting point and to promise themselves to do something about this,” Pat said. “And at the end, I pull up the same slide, and I say, ‘Okay, where do you start? It's right here.’”

 

 

4. How to turn educated families into served families

 

After your presentation, the next step is to help families shift their focus from learning to action. To help families take the next step in the preplanning process, give them an opportunity to schedule an appointment before they leave.

 

“Most of the people who come to a seminar are signing up for an appointment before they walk out the door,” said Pat.

 

However, not every family will be ready to take action.

 

Having a thoughtful follow-up strategy will help you keep those families engaged and support them on their preplanning journey. There are many ways you can follow up with families, but here are a few ideas to help you get started:

  • Mail out thank you cards to all attendees who didn’t make an appointment

  • Provide these families with resources to encourage them to take the next step

  • Keep these families updated on upcoming seminars and events

 

By turning education into engagement, your seminar will not only inform families. Your seminar will help you inspire action, build relationships, and create lasting value for both families and your business.

 

 

Create lasting value for families and your business

 

An advance planning seminar is more than an event.

 

With the right preparation, promotion, and follow-up, you can educate families, build trust, and grow your funeral home’s preneed program.

 

If you’re ready to take your seminars to the next level, our campaign management service can help you reach the right families, track every lead, and convert your leads into families served.

 

Click here to learn more or fill out the form below!

 

Want more insights from Pat Zalusky?

 

Listen to the full episode of The Director’s Playbook to hear his expert tips on seminars that drive real results.