Top 5 DECA Field Trip Ideas

If your high school DECA group is looking for the perfect field trip idea then you have come to the right place!

Adventure Student Travel is your one-stop-shop for school and group travel needs, specializing in performance groups, school clubs, and class trips.

DECA, or more formally the Distributive Education Clubs of America, is a 501 not-for-profit career and technical student organization with over 228,000 members in the US, Canada, China, Germany, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

The organization was first founded in 1946 and works to 'prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges worldwide'. The club's 75-year history has made an impact on over 10 million students, educators, administrators, and business professionals.

There are 3,775 different high school chapters, these students learning key leadership skills such as goal setting, consensus building, and project management. High school students in DECA have several opportunities for field trips and travel, whether it is purely for fun/reward or it is an official conference or competition.

Today we are going to present the top 5 official conference trip options for high school DECA chapters in the United States, but remember we can also set up your fun DECA trip as well, with past examples being to NYC, DC, Orlando, and Philadelphia!

 

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1. Regional Leadership Conference

There are two different regional leadership conferences each year for DECA participants, the Western Region Leadership Conference and the Central Region Leadership Conference. Over 2,000 DECA members attend the Western conference, and 1,500 attend the Central conference.

Date: Mid-November

Locations:
Western: Seattle 2020, Scottsdale 2021, Anaheim 2022
Central: Milwaukee 2020, TBD Future Dates

Key Benefits and Activities:

  • Networking
  • Leadership Development
  • Keynote Speakers
  • Competitive Excellence
  • Festival-Inspired Entertainment

2. Ultimate DECA Power Trip

The Ultimate DECA Power Trip will allow your students to 'embark on a quest that will awaken your thirst for knowledge within a powerful city', the trip spent reinforcing 21st-century skills with interactive sessions on financial and economic literature, critical thinking and problem solving, and more.

Date: November

Locations:
Charlotte 2020, Boston 2021, Arlington 2022

Key Benefits and Activities:

  • Learning Labs
  • Competitive Excellence
  • College and Career Exhibits
  • Networking

3. New York Experience

With the New York Experience, the 'city becomes a living classroom for DECA members as they explore marketing, finance, fashion, hospitality, and more.' What better city to immerse your DECA students in than NYC for a true entrepreneurship and marketing experience?

Date: Late November and Early December Annually

Locations:
New York City!

Key Benefits and Activities:

  • Entrepreneurship 
  • Sports and Entertainment Marketing 
  • Destination Marketing
  • Visits to NBC Studios, Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, and more

4. Emerging Leader Summit

Learn to elevate and empower your leadership skills with the Emerging Leader Summit, a program in which 'leaders can engage in an array of educational programming to empower them to lead'. You will have the chance to collaborate, network, achieve, excel and grow with the programs offered here!

Date: July

Locations:
Washington DC 2020, TBD Future Dates

Key Benefits and Activities:

  • Elevate Track
  • Empower Track
  • Leadership Development
  • Networking

5. International Career Development Conference

Over 20,000 attendees gather to develop knowledge and skills for future college and careers, this conference supporting education initiatives such as career clusters, 21st-century skills, national curriculum standards, common core state standards, and more.

Date: Early May

Locations:
Nashville 2020, Anaheim 2021, Atlanta 2022

Key Benefits and Activities:

  • Competitive Events
  • Emerging Leader Series
  • College and Career Exhibits
  • School-based Enterprise Academy
  • Advisor Professional Learning