HIGH SCHOOL

Competitive Events Program

As an integral part of the classroom curriculum, DECA’s industry-validated competitive events are aligned with the National Curriculum Standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, and hospitality and tourism.

OVERVIEW

Earn the DECA Glass

A spark of competition drives DECA members to excel and improve their performance. Whether you have just 10 minutes to put together a creative solution to a case study or 15 minutes to make your pitch, DECA's competitive events let members experience what it's like to be a business professional.

DECA’s competitive events can be grouped into three broad categories— role-plays and case studies, prepared events and online simulations. Within each category and type of event, DECA offers a variety of options in each of the four career clusters — marketing, finance, hospitality and management — as well as entrepreneurship and personal financial literacy.

DECA's role-play and case study events involve a multiple-choice career cluster exam and a role-play or case study provided on-site with a judge. They are classified by industry and career cluster. See the DECA Guide for exact offerings and guidelines.

Principles of Business Administration Events

Principles of Business Administration Events are for individual first-year DECA members. The member is asked to explain several core business concepts.

Individual Series Events

Individual Series Events are individual member events that pose business challenges with role-plays set in specialized career areas.

Team Decision Making Events

Team Decision Making Events challenge a team of two participants to analyze a case study in a specific career area and develop a solution.

Personal Financial Literacy Event

The Personal Financial Literacy Event is designed to measure members’ ability to apply reliable information and systematic decision making to personal financial decisions.

DECA’s prepared events require a written project as well as a prepared presentation, and some require participants to take a career cluster exam. All of these events should be started early in the school year because of the preparation involved. See the DECA Guide for exact offerings and guidelines.

Business Operations Research Events

Business Operations Research Events challenge members (individually or in teams of up to three) to design and conduct research to present findings and a strategic plan on a topic that changes annually.

Project Management Events

Project Management Events encourage members (individually or in teams of up to three) to use project management skills to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close a project.

Entrepreneurship Events

Entrepreneurship Events allow members (individually or in teams of up to three) to explore entrepreneurship at a variety of stages.

Integrated Marketing Campaign Events

Integrated Marketing Campaign Events challenge members (individually or in teams of up to three) to develop an integrated marketing campaign in a specific category.

Professional Selling and Consulting Events

Professional Selling and Consulting Events allow individual participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed for a career in sales or consulting.

DECA’s online events challenge members in online business simulations. Using an online program, members compete against other members in their region from their seats in the classroom to earn the opportunity to compete at the international level.

Stock Market Game

Participants in the Stock Market Game develop and manage an investment portfolio. Each participating team manages all aspects of the portfolio including stock selection, buying and selling. The goal of the competition is to increase the value of the beginning portfolio.

Virtual Business Challenge

Participants in the DECA Virtual Business Challenge (VBC) operate a web-based business simulation utilizing a competition version of the Virtual Business software. The VBC qualifying rounds are conducted via the internet, where participants will vie for chartered association, regional and overall rankings.

2024-2025

Official Competitive Events

Learn more about each competitive event. Below is the official list of competitive events for DECA’s International Career Development Conference. Please check with your chartered association advisor for competitive events offered in your chartered association.

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Questions?

Contact DECA staff
for more information.

Christopher Young, CAE
Chief Program Officer
Contact