State Career Development Conference
Conference Policies
You are solely responsible for reviewing the event guidelines for your event. The Event Guidelines can be accessed here.
- ALL DEADLINES WILL BE ADHERED TO. PLAN ACCORDINGLY. NO EXCEPTIONS!
- ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGES TO REGISTRATION AFTER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 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.
- The housing list is due January 21, 2026. Additional charges may be incurred for rooms secured after our housing list is due.
- 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 5 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.
- No refunds will be issued once we finalize our numbers with the hotel on January 30, 2026.
- Dues must be submitted and paid or processed with payment pending to the national office before February 1, 2026.
- 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, 2025 Registration opens
January 21, 2026 Housing list is due (Minor adjustments can be made after this time but additional rooms may cost more.) If I have no communications regarding room use you will be considered not attending.
January 23, 2026 Registration ends
January 24, 2026 Late Registration is available
January 26, 2026 Online Testing opens (available from 8:00 am until 10:00 pm each day) & Online submission for Prepared Events Open
January 29, 2026 Last ay for refunds. All Refunds must be requested in writing prior to this date. Otherwise, your registration is used to cover your food, beverages, and lodging secured on your behalf. All refunds are subject to a $50 processing fee.
February 1, 2026 All Dues must be submitted and paid
February 5, 2026 Late Registration closes and no charges can be made & Online testing ends at 10:00 pm
The State Career Development Conference will be held
February 6-8, 2026, 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 6, 2026 (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 7, 2026 (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 with Emcee Comedian Steven Kacz
Sunday, February 8, 2026 (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
International Career Development Conference
April 18 to 21, 2026 - Louisville, KY
Download the registration guide here.
Deadlines to attend ICDC:
- February 1, 2026 | Midnight - Dues must be paid in full to DECA, Inc.
- March 10, 2026 | Midnight - Housing due to DECA, Inc.
- March 10, 2026 | Midnight - Registration due to DECA, Inc.
- March 13, 2026 | 10:00 am EST - Submission for Prepared Events opens
- March 23, 2026 | 5:00 pm - Last day to make system changes to registration/events/housing
- March 23, 2026 | 11:59 pm EST - Submission for Prepared Events closes
- April 5, 2026 | Midnight - Final payment for registration & housing due to DECA, Inc. without additional charges
- April 17, 2026 | Midnight - Last day to cancel hotel to be eligible for a refund. Must be submitted in writing by the chapter advisor only
- April 21, 2026 | 4:00 pm Check-in Begins
- April 21, 2026 | 8:30 pm Mandatory State Meeting - Location to be determined
- Must attend on-site state meeting at 8:30 pm on Saturday night.
- Michigan Collegiate DECA Members must be qualified at State CDC.
- Must pay their dues before February 1, 2026.
- 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 $150 per person. Late fee of $15 is added after March 10 and any registration not paid in full by April 5, 2026.
- The hotel is arranged by the national office and due at the time of registration. Rooms are $277 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, 2026.
- Testing will be held on-site. On Sunday, April 19, 2026.
- Conduct and Dress Code is available here.
- Participant Qualifications are available for view here.
Location: Louisville, Kentucky - Louisville Marriott Downtown, 280 W. Jefferson Street, Louisville, KY 40202
ALL HOTEL RESERVATIONS WILL BE PROCESSED BY THE NATIONAL OFFICE
DECA GUIDE FOR 2026 - Click here
For Event Topics for Prepared Events click here.
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 March 20 in order to arrange appropriate services.
