State Career Development Conference
The State Career Development Conference will be held
February 5-7, 2027, in Bay City, Michigan at the DoubleTree.
The cost is $375 for each person based on housing with two in a room. The cost is $275 for each person for three or four in a room.
Advisors' cost is $275 for a king room,
all family and guests must be registered on housing.
The fee for guest meals is $40.
Read the conference policies below.
Tentative Schedule:
Friday, February 5, 2027 (Business Casual attire)
2:00 pm Pre-Conference Tours (optional)
3:00 pm Registration begins
4:00 pm Room Check-In
4:00 pm Delta Planetarium - Free show for the first 140 students - (must check in for your conference badge for entry)
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm On-site Testing
7:00 pm Seating begins for opening session
7:00 pm All Prepared events due
7:30 pm Open Session begins
9:30 pm Community Service Event
Immediately following community event - Testing Session
Saturday, February 6, 2027 (Professional Dress)
8:00 am Event Prep begins for Team Events
8:30 am Event Prep begins for Individual Events
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch
3:30 pm Delta Planetarium Public show $5 with name badge
8:30 pm - 10:30 pm DECA Downs at the State Theatre
Sunday, February 7, 2027 (Professional Dress)
9:00 am Advisor's meeting
10:00 am Voting begins, awards session seating opens, and breakfast buffet opens
11:00 am Award session
12 pm Check-out and departure
Conference Policies
You are solely responsible for reviewing the event guidelines for your event. The Event Guidelines can be accessed here.
- NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER JANUARY 20, 2027!
- ALL DEADLINES WILL BE ADHERED TO. PLAN ACCORDINGLY. NO EXCEPTIONS!
- ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGES TO REGISTRATION AFTER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026, MIDNIGHT EDT.
- ALL STUDENTS MUST ARRIVE ON FRIDAY AND CHECK-IN THEMSELVES FOR REGISTRATION. ANYONE NOT CHECKED IN ON FRIDAY EVENING WILL BE CONSIDERED A NO SHOW AND DROPPED FROM THE CONFERENCE. ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL SESSIONS.
- REGISTRATION IS $375 for TWO in a ROOM. $275 for three or four in a room. (subject to change until December 1, 2026)
- Registration, the housing list, and payments are due January 20, 2027 at 5:00 pm. NO EXCEPTIONS
- Students may register for one Individual Case Study Event and one Team Case Study Event or Prepared Business Presentation Event as indicated in the registration tool.
- EVENT POLICY: Any event with fewer than 4 participants may not be held. If we hold the event, you must score above 70% to qualify for ICDC, and only medals will be issued.
- Dues must be submitted and paid or processed with payment pending to the national office before
- February 1, 2027.
- ALL Students and Advisors are required to stay at the conference property.
- Professional Dress: Business suit or professional attire. No jeans, sweatpants, shirt shirts, t-shirts, no tennis shoes.
Dress Casual: Polo, dress shirt, pants, skirt, and kakis are acceptable. No jeans, sweatpants, shirt shirts, t-shirts, no tennis shoes.
Causal wear: Jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. No club wear that shows mid-sections or could be deemed inappropriate for business.
DEADLINES FOR CDC
December 1, 2026 Registration opens
January 20, 2027 Registration ends & Housing list is due.
All registrations must be paid in full. No Refunds after this date.
TBD
Online Testing opens (available from 8:00 am until 10:00 pm each day)
January 25, 2027 Online submission for Prepared Events Open
February 1, 2027 All Dues must be submitted and paid.
Fall Leadership Conference
- October 31, 2026, in Houghton, Michigan at the Holiday Inn.
9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Registration cost is $35 a person
Housing is $124 a night for one to four in a room.
All registrants receive a copy of the book "Risk Only Money".
Hotel must be submitted no later than October 10 to lock in the rate above. You must call Ann Armstrong, 906-315-4224. Tax exemption is available for most schools that are making payments on behalf of attendees.
Tentative Schedule:
Friday, October 4:00 pm Hotel Check-in
Saturday, October 31 (Business Casual Dress)
8:30 am Breakfast, Registration, and Networking
9:00 am am Welcome & Keynote Speaker
10:15 am DECA Workshops
- Starting a Chapter
- Student Lead Chapter Management
- Recruiting through Social Media
- Understanding the DECA Diamond
10:45 am DECA Events Workshops
- State event - Pitch It
- Approaching a Case Study
- Selecting a Prepared Event
- State Recognition & the Passport Program
11:15 am Networking & Lunch
1:00 pm Professional Secrets Workshops
- Thank you or Not
- LinkedIn Building your Profile
- Fashion or Professional
- RSVP or Show up
1:30 pm Community Impact Workshops
To be Determined
2:00 pm Break
2:15 pm Risk Only Money Discussion with Jim
3:00 pm Break and return to hotel
5:30 pm Networking
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Costume Party with prizes and activities
Sunday, November 1
11:00 am Check-out and departure
- No refunds will be issued after January 20, 2027.
- No refunds will be issued after January 20, 2027.
- Read the conference policies below.
Conference Policies
NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER October 10,2026
- ALL DEADLINES WILL BE ADHERED TO. PLAN ACCORDINGLY. NO EXCEPTIONS!
- ALL STUDENTS AND ADVISORS ARRIVE ON FRIDAY.
- ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL SESSIONS.
- REGISTRATION IS $124 for One (1) to four (4) in a ROOM. (subject to change until December 1, 2026)
- Registration, the housing list, and payments are due January 20, 2027 at 5:00 pm. NO EXCEPTIONS
- Pre registration includes selection 1 workshop at each tome offered. Sessions are limited to 40 people per session.
- Established chapters should pay dues for anyone attending this conference prior to arrival. New or interested chapter may attend without paying dues.
- ALL Students and Advisors are required to stay at the conference property.
- The conference is Dress Casual: Polo, dress shirt, pants, skirt, and kakis are acceptable. No jeans, sweatpants, shirt shirts, t-shirts, no tennis shoes.
Halloween costume portion is causal wear: Jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. No club wear that shows mid-sections or could be deemed inappropriate for business and this conference.
All registrations must be paid in full. No Refunds after October 10, 2026.
Registration starts soon.
Speakers
Watch for speaker details available soon.
International Career Development Conference
Friday, April 9 to 12, 2027 - Austin, Texas
Download the registration guide (coming soon).
New format -
- Friday: Grand Opening Session
- Saturday: Preliminary Competition
- Sunday: Professional Development Sessions + Testing
- Monday: Preliminary Awards Session, Final Competition + Grand Awards Session
Deadlines to attend ICDC:
- February 1, 2027 | Midnight - Dues must be paid in full to DECA, Inc.
- March 10, 2027 | Midnight - Housing due to DECA, Inc.
- March 10, 2027 | Midnight - Registration due to DECA, Inc.
- March 11 to 22, 2027 | 10:00 am EST - Submission for Prepared Events opens
- TBD | 5:00 pm - Last day to make system changes to registration/events/housing
- TBD | 11:59 pm EST - Submission for Prepared Events closes
- TBD | Midnight - Final payment for registration & housing due to DECA, Inc. without additional charges
- TBD | Midnight - Last day to cancel hotel to be eligible for a refund. Must be submitted in writing by the chapter advisor only
- April 9, 2026 | 4:00 pm Check-in Begins
- April 9, 2026 | 5:30 pm Mandatory State Meeting - Location to be determined
- Must attend on-site state meeting at 5:30 pm on Friday.
- Michigan Collegiate DECA Members must be qualified at State CDC.
- Must pay their dues before February 1, 2027.
- Registration must be submitted through your chapter advisor. All registration goes through the National Office, and you will need to pay in full prior to arrival.
- The registration fee is $160 per person. Late fee of $15 is added after TBD and any registration not paid in full by TBD. *Subject to change.
- The hotel is arranged by the national office and due at the time of registration. Rooms are $335 per room per night including taxes and fees. The cost is the same based on single, double, triple, or quad occupancy. Deadline is March 10, 2027.
- Testing will be held on-site. On Sunday, April 11, 2027.
- Conduct and Dress Code is available here.
- Participant Qualifications are available for view here.
Location: J W Marriott, 110 E. 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701
ALL HOTEL RESERVATIONS WILL BE PROCESSED BY THE NATIONAL OFFICE
DECA GUIDE FOR 2027 - Available soon
Event Topics for Prepared Events -
Business Research Topic
The 2026-2027 topic is for participants to collaborate with a local business or organization to research what drives customer loyalty and repeat engagement.
Using the research findings, participants will develop a strategic plan to strengthen customer retention through loyalty programs, personalized experiences or relationship-building initiatives.
Digital Marketing Strategies Topic
The objective for the 2025-2026 year is to create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for a functional food or beverage startup entering a crowded market (think: the Olipop/Poppi space).
The strategy should differentiate the brand, build community, and drive e-commerce sales through authentic digital storytelling.
Financial Statement Analysis Topic
The Financial Statement Analysis event involves a team of 2 to 3 participants analyzing the financial statements of two (2) companies from the same industry, preparing a written analysis and then presenting their findings and recommendations.
For 2026-2027, participants will analyze financial statements for Celsius Holdings, Inc. and Monster Beverage Corporation using the most recent Form 10-K for each organization.
Accommodation request we want to make every opportunity available for our members needing accommodations to participate in ICDC. An online form is at deca.org/
cicdcaccommodationrequests to identify students that need accommodations. It is
critical that we receive the form by TBD in order to arrange appropriate services.
