FEATURE EDITORIAL
Expanding Funeral Homes as Event Centers
As cremation rises, owners are looking for ways to create meaningful tributes and use idle space. BY ERIN CONNOLLY Turning forgotten corners into profit is giving the funeral home industry a fresh lease on life—so to speak—as more businesses find creative ways to make use of otherwise idle space. This innovative branding approach even gives funeral homes a new title—Life Celebration Event Venue—a nod to their expanded role beyond traditional services. Reimagining funeral homes as event spaces taps into the growing demand for affordable, accessible venues. For clients, it offers a practical alternative to traditional event spaces. For funeral homes, it opens up an overlooked revenue stream—because
a well-designed space doesn’t have to wait for only one kind of gathering. According to Lee Longino, senior managing director for the Major East Business Unit for Service Corporation International’s Major Markets, “It does not take Elon Musk to tell we have to make a change as cremation rates are changing.” SCI recognized the need for change in the mid2000s. This is when they started converting many of their facilities into Life Celebration Centers although many funeral homes remained just that. Keeping a
PICTURE: Round tables replace pews at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, Carrollwood Chapel in Tampa, Florida.
20 www.FBSMagazine.com | March/April Issue 2025