Where the competition year is decided
Our members compete at the Regional, State, and international levels. Every member who wants to compete gets an event, gets ready for it with our help, and gets on the bus to the Regional conference. From there, it's up to the judges.
The Regional conference
Kentucky DECA divides the commonwealth into regions, and ours holds its conference at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. This is where every competitor's year begins. Results at Regional decide who advances to State, and how many advance depends on the quota for each event.
The State Career Development Conference
The State Career Development Conference, or SCDC, is an overnight trip to the Hyatt Regency in downtown Louisville. It's where Kentucky placement is decided and where the Kentucky delegation to the international conference is set. Kentucky DECA posts the schedule, the events handbook, and the SCDC dress code on its student resources page.
The International Career Development Conference
ICDC brings together more than 25,000 students, advisors, and business professionals for several days of competition, leadership sessions, and recognition, and more than 10,000 of them compete. Atlanta hosted it in 2026. The 2027 conference is in Anaheim, California, April 17-20. If you qualify at State, you've earned your place there, and we'll be cheering you on.
2026-27 trips and conferences
Fall Officer Workshop
Friday, October 30, 2026 · Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
Our officer team spends the day at the Fall Officer Workshop. It's a one-day trip for officers only. We'll depart at 8:25 a.m. sharp and be back before the end of the school day. The chapter covers registration, and officers bring money for their own meals.
Regional conference
Friday, January 15, 2027 · Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
Every member who competes starts here.
State Career Development Conference (SCDC)
Dates coming soon · Hyatt Regency, downtown Louisville, KY
An overnight trip for members who advance from Regional.
International Career Development Conference (ICDC)
April 17-20, 2027 · Anaheim, California
For members who qualify at State.
- Oct30Fall Officer WorkshopConference
- Jan15Regional Career Development Conference (RCDC)Region
- Mar1State Career Development Conference (SCDC)State
- Apr16International Career Development Conference (ICDC)ICDC
What a trip costs your family
We budget chapter travel so that the biggest expenses never decide whether a student gets to compete.
The chapter covers
Transportation, lodging, and conference registration fees.
Families cover
Meals and entertainment while traveling, such as show tickets or amusement park admission.
Before every conference, we share an itinerary with the exact number of meals to budget for. Membership dues are separate from travel: $35 for 2026-27, due Friday, September 25, paid by cash or by check made out to Lafayette High School. If cost is a concern for your family, please email Mr. Hoertz directly.
The questions families ask first
Yes. To register for and attend any DECA conference, a student needs to be a paid DECA member on an official roster, and dues have to reach DECA before the deadline. That's why our chapter deadline is Friday, September 25. If you miss it, please ask anyway, because depending on the timing, there may still be a way.
Business professional. At the Regional and State conferences, that means a suit, sport coat, or blazer with dress slacks, or a professional dress or knee-length skirt, plus a collared shirt or blouse and dress shoes. Kentucky DECA doesn't require the official DECA blazer at State, but it is required at ICDC when you're in front of a judge or on stage. Our dress code page walks through all three levels of dress. If your student doesn't have these clothes, let Mr. Hoertz know early. The chapter can help, and it stays private.
By placing at State. Members compete at Regional, advance to the State Career Development Conference in Louisville, and the top finishers in each event there earn a spot at the International Career Development Conference.
Lafayette DECA covers transportation, lodging, and conference registration fees for every conference we attend. Families are responsible only for meals and entertainment while traveling, such as show tickets or amusement parks, and that's the whole list. We fundraise and budget so the biggest expenses are never the reason a student stays home. Before every trip, we send an itinerary that shows how many meals to plan for and whether anything optional is on the schedule, so you can budget with real numbers. Membership dues are separate, and they're due Friday, September 25. If cost is still a concern, email Mr. Hoertz, and we'll work it out together.
Yes, and most first-year members do. Most start in a Principles of Business Administration event, which DECA designs specifically for first-year DECA members, no matter what grade you're in.
No. Plenty of members compete at Regional, work on chapter projects, and serve the community without ever taking an overnight trip. Travel is a great opportunity, but it's never a requirement.
The State Career Development Conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Louisville is an overnight trip, and ICDC in Anaheim, California is a multi-day trip. The Fall Officer Workshop, which is for officers only, and the Regional conference are both one-day trips to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.
Get on the roster by Friday, September 25.
Conference registration is open only to paid DECA members on an official roster, and dues have to be processed before conference deadlines. That's why our chapter deadline is the last school day before fall break. If you miss it, please talk to Mr. Hoertz anyway. Depending on the timing, there may still be a way, and there's always a place for you in our chapter.