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DECA is one of the largest business competitions/conferences for homeschoolers, with a very diverse range of topics one can compete in (ranging from marketing to hospitality to finance, etc), a variety of forms (presentation, exam, oral pitches, etc) and a variety of team combinations (4 person team, 2 person team, solo, etc). 

DECA

Description:

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Competition details:

There are more than 60 completely different competitive events one can compete in DECA, so it is very hard to summarize what one does in this competition. However, this competition is mainly divided into 2 categories (oral and written) plus some side events, and all events in the 2 main categories fall under 5 sectors (Business Administration, Marketing, Hospitality and Tourism, Finance, and Entrepreneurship).

    •  All students do in oral is present 1-2 "roleplay" cases for 10 (single) or 15 (2-person team) minutes at the competition, but they only receive their “roleplay” case 15 (single) or 30 (2-person team) minutes before they present.

    • Students only know the range of topics that will be given to them, not the specific "roleplay" case they will receive at the competition.

    • The judge will be marking students on their speaking skills and 4-7 Performance Indicators stated on the case, for example, explaining the core of effective verbal communication, explaining supply and demand, etc.

    • Additionally, each student will also write a 100-question multiple-choice exam if they choose to compete in oral events. This is equally important with the case!

    • Written is a big category that allows students to pre-prepare for their event as they know their exact topic beforehand.

    • Written can then be divided into 4 categories.

      • First is Project Management events where students need to identify an issue (depending on the stakeholders of their specific event), then provide and implement a solution. The deliverables will be 20 pages(max) of report and 15 minutes of presentation at provincial, no exam.

      • The second is Business Operations Research, where students research a certain topic (that changes each year) upon a business of their choice. The deliverables will be a 20-page (max) report and 15 minutes of presentation at provincial, with no exam.

      • The third is entrepreneurship events where students create a business plan for their own business. The deliverables will be a report that varies in length depending on the event and a 15-minute presentation at provincial, with no exam.

      • The last category is Integrated Marketing Campaign, where students create a marketing campaign for a business of their choice. The deliverables are a 20-page slide presentation (not a report), a 15-minute presentation, and an exam.

  • There are also some side events in DECA where only a few teams out of all the teams competing globally can make it to ICDC. Students can compete in those as an additional event on top of what they already compete in from the two categories above. More information can be found on the official website.

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  • Students need to be under a chapter (contact us if you want to join the BizSTEM DECA chapter), and all team members need to be from the same chapter.

  • Timeline varies from province to province, but generally:

    • Registration: September - middle of October

    • Regionals: Middle to late November

    • Provincials: Middle of January - Middle of February.

    • ICDC (internationals): April 17-20, 2027 at Anaheim, California

Other information:

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Official website for DECA: click here

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Six women attending a conference or event, standing in front of a dark blue backdrop with blue and white maple leaf decorations and the words "Ontario DEC" and other text. The women are smiling, wearing name tags and lanyards, dressed in business casual clothing.
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Group of smiling young adults celebrating an achievement at a conference, holding a plaque that says 'Second Place' and wearing medals and conference badges.