The timeline of a funeral presentation: from preparation to delivery
A funeral presentation only comes into the picture when a family member, friend or loved one has passed away. At a moment like that, time is scarce: there is usually no more than a week between the death and the funeral. So how do the preparation and delivery of a funeral presentation fit into such a short period?
1. The delivery
The venue where the funeral is held determines the latest moment by which the presentation must be delivered. Most funeral venues and crematoria ask for everything to be handed in, complete, 24 hours before the service begins.
They need those 24 hours to play the presentation through once in full on their own equipment. They check whether everything runs according to the running order, and they still have time to put things right if something turns out not to be working.
In practice, it also regularly happens that the presentation has to be delivered 48 hours (or even 72 hours) before the service. Especially when a weekend falls in between (a funeral on a Monday) and the Saturday or Sunday is outside the venue's opening hours.
So always check this in advance with the funeral director or the venue in question.
2. The preparations
Gathering the photos, choosing the music and finalising the running order all belong to the preparations for the funeral presentation. We recommend starting as soon as possible after the death.
In practice, we see that it takes at least 36 hours to get the presentation just right.
An example: the funeral is on a Thursday and the venue wants the presentation 24 hours in advance, so on the Wednesday. We would then advise finishing the preparations by Monday evening.
3. The picture is clear
It is therefore wise to start on the presentation at least three days before the funeral. That leaves some calm and space for putting the file together, but also for checking it and making changes where needed. Once everything is in place, there are almost always improvements or changes people would still like to make.
The order of the photos needs adjusting, or a family member turns up with a special photo for one of the speakers. Extra photos suddenly appear, and others can then be swapped out. Perhaps different music is chosen after all. That way, within those 48 hours, you work together towards a final version for a dignified farewell.
Struggling to get all the preparations done in time? Use our tool to create the funeral presentation. It saves an enormous amount of time, because the timing of the music is calculated automatically and every slide in the PowerPoint gets the right settings by itself. You also receive a complete instruction document, which the venue will be very pleased with. And you deliver everything to them easily through a shareable link, with no fuss involving WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Frequently asked questions
When do I need to deliver the funeral presentation to the venue?
Most funeral venues and crematoria want to receive the complete presentation 24 hours before the service begins. Some venues ask for 48 or even 72 hours, for example when a weekend falls in between. Always check the exact deadline in advance with the funeral director or the venue.
Why does the venue want the presentation so far in advance?
The venue plays the presentation through once in full on its own equipment. That way they check whether everything runs according to the running order: does the music start at the right moment, do the slides advance properly, does the video play? If something is not right, there is still time to sort it out together with you.
How much time does it take to create a funeral presentation?
Allow at least 36 hours for gathering the photos, choosing the music and building the presentation. So start at least three days before the funeral. That leaves room for checking the file and for the changes that almost always come up, such as a different photo order or an extra photo for a speaker.
What if time is running short?
Talk to the funeral director and the venue straight away: sometimes more is possible than the standard deadline. An online tool such as ours also saves a great deal of time. The timing of the music is calculated automatically, every slide gets the right settings by itself, and you deliver everything through a shareable link, complete with an instruction document for the venue.