Arkansas DECA · 2026–2027
Competitive Event Toolkit
Pick an event. Prepare for it. Place at it. Every figure here comes from the DECA Guide 2026-27, deca.org, or arkansasdeca.com.
52 slides · 8 sections
SCDC · Feb 8–9, 2027
ICDC · Apr 17–20, 2027
Section One
Start Here — Choosing Your Event
Read this section now. Come back for the rest once you’ve committed.
How to use this
What’s in each section
- Section 1 pick your event.
- Section 2 shows what each event actually feels like.
- Sections 3–5 are the prep playbooks — exam, roleplay, written.
- Section 6 is how you show up and present.
- Section 7 is Arkansas: our dates, our path to ICDC.
- Section 8 is every official link.
The landscape
Nearly 60 events. Six clusters.
Pick the cluster first. The event comes second.
| Cluster | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Marketing | Getting product and experience to the customer |
| Business Management + Administration | Running the operation |
| Finance | Financial services for commercial and retail customers |
| Hospitality + Tourism | Lodging, restaurants, events, travel |
| Entrepreneurship | Starting and growing your own venture |
| Personal Financial Literacy | Your own financial decision-making |
In DECA’s words
What each career category means
- Business Services — services to businesses on a fee or contract basis, or to consumers. HR firms, IT, legal services, health care services, libraries, real estate, landscaping, child care, tutoring.
- Finance — financial services to commercial and retail customers. Banks, credit unions, accounting firms, investment companies, insurance.
- Hospitality and Tourism — event management, lodging, restaurants, travel. Hotels, convention services, museums, amusement parks, zoos.
- Buying and Merchandising — forecasting, planning, buying, displaying, selling, customer service. Specialty and department stores, grocery, pharmacies, farmers markets, car dealerships.
- Sports and Entertainment Marketing — amateur or pro sports, entertainment, recreation. Teams, theaters, waterparks, music venues, festivals, summer camps.
The decision flow
Three questions get you to an event
- Is this your first year in DECA? If yes, start with a Principles event — they exist for exactly this. Business Management and Administration · Entrepreneurship · Finance · Hospitality and Tourism · Marketing.
- Do you want a partner? One partner → Team Decision Making: two people, one case study, present together. Solo → Individual Series: one person, one roleplay, one judge.
- Build something over months instead of thinking on your feet? If yes, a prepared event — written project plus presentation. Business Operations Research · Project Management · Entrepreneurship · Integrated Marketing Campaign · Professional Selling and Consulting.
The honest tradeoff
Roleplay or written?
| Roleplay events | Written events | |
|---|---|---|
| Time commitment | Weeks of practice | Months of building |
| When you learn the problem | On-site, minutes before | You choose it in the fall |
| Rewards | Quick thinking, PI recall | Depth, research, polish |
| Risk | One bad draw | One missed deadline |
| Start by | Winter | Early in the school year |
DECA’s own guidance on prepared events: they “should be started early in the school year.”
Before you commit
Five questions worth answering honestly
- What career am I actually curious about? DECA’s advice: “Choose a competitive event that best fits your career interest and skills.”
- Do I want to talk, or to build?
- Do I want a teammate holding me accountable, or full control?
- Am I willing to start in September? If not, don’t pick a written event.
- Has anyone in our chapter done this event before — and can I ask them?
Print the 2026-27 Competitive Events Poster and Career Cluster Poster for the classroom wall. Both are linked in Section 8.
Section Two
Event Types at a Glance
One page per family. Compare before you commit.
Roleplay · first-year members only
Principles events
Exam100 q
Participants1
With judge10 min
Why start here: you’re judged against other first-years, not against three-year veterans.
The five eventsPrinciples of Business Management and Administration · Principles of Entrepreneurship · Principles of Finance · Principles of Hospitality and Tourism · Principles of Marketing
Roleplay · solo
Individual Series events
Exam100 q
Participants1
With judge10 min
A 100-question multiple-choice cluster exam, then up to ten minutes to interact with the judge and show how you would solve the problem.
The eventsAccounting Applications · Apparel and Accessories Marketing · Automotive Services Marketing · Business Finance · Business Services Marketing · Entrepreneurship · Food Marketing · Hotel and Lodging Management · Human Resources Management · Marketing Communications · Quick Serve Restaurant Management · Restaurant and Food Service Management · Retail Merchandising · Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Roleplay · two people
Team Decision Making
Exam, each100 q
Participants2
Preparation30 min
Presentation15 min
You get a 30-minute preparation period and may make notes to use during the roleplay. Then fifteen minutes to present your analysis, your decisions, and the rationale behind them.
2026-27 change: Team Decision Making case studies are now reduced to five performance indicators. Fewer PIs means each one carries more weight — hit all five.
The eventsBusiness Law and Ethics · Buying and Merchandising · Entrepreneurship · Financial Services · Hospitality Services · Marketing Management · Sports and Entertainment Marketing · Travel and Tourism
Roleplay · its own cluster
Personal Financial Literacy
Your own money, tested.
- Exam plus roleplay, one participant.
- Measures your application of personal financial decision-making.
- Has its own cluster and its own exam.
A good entry point if business isn’t your thing yet, but money is.
Prepared · written entry + presentation
Business Operations Research
Participants1–3
Page limit20
Presentation15 min
Total points200
Body limited to 20 numbered pages, including the appendix, excluding title page and table of contents. Presentation is a maximum of fifteen minutes including the judge’s questions. All participants must present. You are hired consultants; the judge is the owner or manager.
Collaborate with a local business or organization to research what drives customer loyalty and repeat engagement. Using the research findings, participants will develop a strategic plan to strengthen customer retention through loyalty programs, personalized experiences or relationship-building initiatives.
2026–2027 topic, verbatim
The eventsBusiness Services · Buying and Merchandising · Finance · Hospitality and Tourism · Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research
Prepared · written entry + presentation
Project Management
Run a real project, start to finish. Best fit if your chapter is already doing the work — you’re documenting something real.
Participants1–3
ExamYes
The eventsBusiness Solutions Project · Career Development Project · Community Awareness Project · Community Giving Project · Financial Literacy Project · Sales Project
To confirm before publishing: the 2026-27 Project Management page limit, from its own event guidelines.
Prepared · written entry + presentation
Entrepreneurship
Your business. On paper. Defended.
The eventsBusiness Growth Plan · Franchise Business Plan · Independent Business Plan · Innovation Plan · International Business Plan · Start-Up Business Plan
Page limits are not uniform across these six events. Check each event’s own guidelines — this is a common penalty-point mistake.
Prepared · written entry + presentation
Integrated Marketing Campaign
Participants1–3
Slide cap20
Present15 min
Weighting2× exam
There is no page limit, because there is no written entry. The prepared component is a pitch deck, and IMC has no Written Entry Evaluation Form. Anyone looking for a page limit is working from an outdated model of this event.
“The pitch deck must be limited to 20 slides, including the appendix.” Cover, title, table of contents, body, bibliography and appendix all count toward the 20. The Statement of Assurances is a separate document and is not numbered. Presentation is worth 100 points, weighted twice the exam score.
Ten required sections for 2026-27, including a new Section V — Research, Insights, Connection to the Campaign, worth 15 points. Full spec is in the Chapter Marketing Packet, Part B.
The eventsIntegrated Marketing Campaign–Event · Integrated Marketing Campaign–Product · Integrated Marketing Campaign–Service
Prepared · one participant
Professional Selling and Consulting
A real sales conversation, prepared in advance. The 2026–2027 scenarios:
- Financial Consulting — you are a financial consultant meeting a small-business owner in their late 50s about retirement and succession planning options.
- Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling — you are a sales representative for a tour wholesaler designing “immersive, experience-based group travel packages” to modernize a travel agency’s offerings for younger travelers.
- Professional Selling and Consulting — you represent a company offering an integrated AI-powered customer service and retail analytics platform, pitching to a regional retail chain owner.
Online simulations
Compete from the classroom
Lowest barrier to entry in DECA. If your chapter is new, start here. Members compete regionally to advance to international competition.
Participants1–3
The eventsStock Market Game · Virtual Business Challenge — Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Fashion, Hotel Management, Personal Finance, Restaurant, Retail, Sports
Read this even if you competed last year
What changed for 2026–2027
- Career Competencies are now evaluated in place of 21st Century Skills.
- New Evaluation Levels guide volunteer judges: Novice, Developing, Proficient, Exemplary.
- Team Decision Making case studies reduced to five performance indicators.
- Prepared events with written entries are weighted 50/50 — written entry and presentation count equally.
- Presentation Evaluation Forms now include a standardized presentation technique section.
- Chapter Campaigns: Adobe Express is now required for submissions.
- School-Based Enterprises: a non-refundable $25 application fee per submission.
New for 2026-27
The six Career Competencies
These replaced 21st Century Skills. Judges are looking for them.
| Competency | DECA’s definition |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Thinks critically to understand and solve problems. |
| Communication | Communicates clearly, effectively, and with reason. |
| Decision Making | Considers the impacts of decisions. |
| Collaboration | Participates and advocates in groups of all sizes to achieve common goals. |
| Innovation | Demonstrates a creative and innovative mindset. |
| Technology | Ethically leverages technologies to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. |
Section Three
Exam Prep
The exam is 100 questions. It is also the half of your score most people ignore.
Start with the blueprint
How to actually read the Exam Blueprint
The HS Exam Blueprint tells you how many questions come from each instructional area, per cluster.
- Find your cluster’s column.
- Rank the instructional areas by question count, highest first.
- Study in that order. You are not trying to learn everything — you are trying to learn the heaviest-weighted areas cold.
Insert the actual blueprint table for each cluster here before publishing. Download the current HS Blueprint from deca.org/compete.
The other document
District Instructional Areas
A separate document from the blueprint. It narrows the content you’re responsible for at the district and association level.
Why it matters: it tells you what is fair game at SCDC. If you’re studying material outside it, you’re spending time you don’t have.
The core method
Studying performance indicators
Performance indicators are the scored lines on your roleplay rubric. They are also the exam’s vocabulary.
- Collect — pull the PI list for your cluster.
- Define — write each PI in your own words. If you can’t, you don’t know it.
- Example — attach one real company example to each.
- Speak — say the definition out loud, in a sentence a judge would accept.
- Repeat, spaced — twenty PIs a day, revisiting old ones. Not two hundred the night before.
The test: hand your list to someone. They read a PI. You have ten seconds to define it and give an example.
Working backward from February 8, 2027
Six-week countdown to SCDC
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 6 | Take a full 100-question practice exam cold. Score it. Find your two weakest instructional areas. |
| 5 | Heaviest-weighted instructional area. Twenty PIs a day. First practice roleplay. |
| 4 | Second-heaviest area. Two roleplays this week, timed, out loud. |
| 3 | Second practice exam. Compare to week six. Attack whatever didn’t move. |
| 2 | Roleplays only — three, with different people judging. Work on the close. |
| 1 | Third practice exam. Light PI review. Pack. Print. Sleep. |
Rule: never skip out-loud practice for more silent studying. The exam is half. The judge is the other half.
Section Four
Roleplay Playbook
Ten minutes. One judge. Five performance indicators.
The method
Four steps, every time
- Identify the performance indicators. They are printed on your roleplay. They are the rubric. Circle them before you write anything else.
- Structure. One section of your notes per PI, in the order they’re listed. The judge scores in that order — make it easy to follow.
- Open and close. Open: greet, introduce yourself by name and role, state what you’re there to do. Close: summarize the recommendation, thank them, invite questions.
- Handle judge questions. Answer, then tie back to a PI. Never say “I don’t know” and stop — say what you’d do to find out.
Minute by minute
How to spend a ten-minute prep
| Minutes | Do this |
|---|---|
| 0:00–1:00 | Read the situation. Underline who you are and who the judge is. |
| 1:00–2:00 | Circle the PIs. Write them down the left margin. |
| 2:00–7:00 | One bullet cluster per PI. Content, not sentences. |
| 7:00–8:30 | Build your open and your close. Write these out — they’re the parts you’ll fumble. |
| 8:30–10:00 | Say it out loud under your breath, once, start to finish. |
Never write full sentences in the middle. You will read them, and reading loses.
Worked example
One roleplay, one model outline
Situation: You are a marketing associate at a regional coffee chain. The owner has noticed repeat visits dropping. Recommend a customer retention approach.
PIs given: Explain the role of customer service · Describe factors of customer loyalty · Explain the nature of a loyalty program · Determine customer needs · Persuade others
- Open (30s) — “Good morning, I’m [name], marketing associate. You’ve asked me to look at why repeat visits are down and what we do about it. I have three findings and one recommendation.”
- Customer service role — service is the retention lever we control day to day; it’s the difference between a transaction and a relationship.
- Loyalty factors — consistency, recognition, perceived value, convenience.
- Nature of a loyalty program — structured reward for repeat behavior; tiered beats flat because it gives a reason to climb.
- Customer needs — point-of-sale survey plus the transaction data we already have.
- Persuade — here’s the cost, here’s the projected lift, here’s the 90-day measurement.
- Close (30s) — “So: tiered loyalty program, launched in 90 days, measured on repeat-visit rate. I’d start with the point-of-sale survey next week. What questions can I answer?”
Rubric to script
The gap between Proficient and Exemplary is specificity
| You say | Scores |
|---|---|
| “We should improve customer loyalty.” | Novice |
| “We should start a loyalty program.” | Developing |
| “A tiered loyalty program, because tiers give customers a reason to move up.” | Proficient |
| “A three-tier program launched in 90 days, measured on repeat-visit rate, costing $X against a projected Y% lift.” | Exemplary |
The rule: every claim gets a number, a timeline, or a because.
Avoid these
Mistakes that cost real points
- Skipping a PI entirely — that’s a zero on a scored line, and with TDM down to five PIs it’s a fifth of your content.
- Talking about the problem instead of deciding.
- Running long and getting cut off before the close.
- Reading your notes.
- Forgetting to introduce yourself in role.
- Ignoring the judge’s actual question to finish your script.
Section Five
Written Event Playbook
200 points. Half of it is a document you control completely.
The headline change
The 50/50 rule
Written entry100
Presentation100
Subtotal200
Then lessPenalties
2026-27 change: prepared events with written entries are now weighted 50/50.
What that means practically: a beautiful paper with a mumbled presentation now costs you exactly as much as a great presentation on a thin paper. You cannot coast on either half.
Business Operations Research, 2026-27
Written entry structure
Follow this outline exactly. Every section must be titled.
| § | Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| I | Executive Summary | One-to-three-page description of the project |
| II | Introduction | The business and its purpose · products and services · target market, demographics and psychographics · current strategy on customer loyalty and repeat engagement |
| III | Research Methods | Description and rationale of methodologies · the process used |
| IV | Findings and Conclusions | Findings of the study · conclusions based on them |
| V | Proposed Strategic Plan | Objectives and rationale · activities and timelines · metrics and KPIs |
| VI | Proposed Budget | Costs and rationale, financial viability, ROI |
| VII | Bibliography | Required. Sources used in the document. |
| VIII | Appendix | Optional. Questionnaires, letters, background data, meeting minutes. |
Written Entry Evaluation Form
Where the 100 written points actually are
| Section | Points |
|---|---|
| Executive Summary | 10 |
| Introduction | 8 |
| Research Methods (2 lines × 8) | 16 |
| Findings and Conclusions (2 lines × 8) | 16 |
| Proposed Strategic Plan (3 lines × 12) | 36 |
| Proposed Budget | 8 |
| Professional Standards (layout, business language, grammar) | 6 |
| Total | 100 |
Read that again. The Strategic Plan is 36% of the written score — more than triple the Executive Summary. Most teams over-invest in the introduction and under-invest here.
Presentation Evaluation Form
Where the 100 presentation points are
Presentation content — 75 pts
- Business Need, Process and Methodology — 15
- Key Findings — 15
- Proposed Strategic Plan — 15
- Proposed Budget — 15
- Impact and Measurement — 15
Presentation technique — 25 pts · new
- Organization — 5
- Effectiveness — 5
- Delivery — 5
- Presentation Design — 5
- Overall Impression — 5
Technique is a quarter of your presentation score and costs nothing but rehearsal.
Run this before you submit
Formatting and penalty-point checklist
- Using the current year’s guidelines — not last year’s
- Statement of Assurances and Academic Integrity signed by all participants and the advisor, submitted with the entry, and not included in page numbering
- Title page carries event name, high school name, school address, city/state/ZIP, participant names, date — and is not numbered
- Table of contents follows the title page and is not numbered
- Body begins at Section I, Executive Summary, first page numbered “1”
- Page numbers continue through bibliography and appendix
- Limit respected — BOR and Project Management: 20 numbered pages including appendix, excluding title page and TOC. IMC is different: a 20-slide pitch deck, no written entry.
- No sections left out of the body, and every section titled
- Bibliography present
Full Penalty Point Checklist: DECA Guide 2026-27, page 60.
Read before you build a visual aid
Presentation rules that surprise people
- Visual aids must be hand-carried by the actual participants. No wheeled carts, no moving straps.
- Setup time counts inside your 15 minutes.
- You furnish your own materials and equipment.
- No electrical power or internet is supplied. No generators.
- Sound is allowed at a conversational volume.
- You may hand the judge flyers, brochures, pamphlets, business cards.
- You may not leave items of monetary value with a judge.
- No food or drinks.
- Each participant may bring a copy of the written entry or note cards for reference — and every participant must take part.
Plan the whole year
Fall → SCDC → ICDC
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September | Pick your event. Pick your business or organization. Get their yes in writing. |
| October | Design the research study. Oct 28 — AR Fall Leadership Conference. |
| November | Conduct the research. Don’t analyze yet — collect. |
| December | Analyze. Draft Sections I–IV. |
| January | Draft Sections V–VI — the 36-point section. Full draft done. Advisor review. Statement of Assurances signed. Rehearse until 15 minutes fits with questions. |
| Feb 8–9 | SCDC — Hot Springs Convention Center. |
| Apr 17–20 | ICDC — Anaheim, California. |
To confirm: the ICDC-qualifying prepared event submission deadline, from the deca.org calendar.
Section Six
Presentation & Professionalism
You are judged from the moment you walk in.
Dress code
Business professional, not business casual
- Blazer and closed-toe shoes.
- The DECA blazer is standard for officers and for competitors who have one.
- Comfortable enough to stand and present in for fifteen minutes.
- Name badge visible at all times.
Before publishing, paste the current official dress code verbatim from deca.org/conferences. Do not paraphrase it — it changes, and members will treat this page as authoritative.
Packing
What to bring to SCDC
Required
- Registration materials and name badge
- Photo ID
- Signed AR CTSO Student AV Release Form
- Written entry copies
- Note cards
Bring anyway
- Two printed copies beyond what’s required
- Pens and blank note cards
- Charger and battery pack
- Water bottle and real food
- A backup of your visual aids that needs no power
Leave at home
- Anything requiring an outlet
- Anything with a wheel you planned to roll into the room
- Food or drinks for the presentation
Script them
The first thirty seconds
The judge decides a lot in the first thirty seconds.
- Walk in, make eye contact, shake hands if offered.
- State your name and your role in the scenario.
- State what you’re there to do.
- Then start.
Overall Impression — demonstrates overall career readiness through professionalism, poise and confidence.
A scored line worth 5 points. This is where it’s earned.
Section Seven
Arkansas DECA
Our calendar, our path to Anaheim.
Mark all of these now
2026–2027 Arkansas calendar
| Date | Conference | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | AR DECA Fall Leadership Conference | Little Rock, AR |
| Nov 20–22, 2026 | Power Trip | Louisville, KY |
| Jan 27–31, 2027 | Sports & Entertainment Marketing Conference | Orlando, FL |
| Feb 8–9, 2027 | State Career Development Conference | Hot Springs Convention Center |
| Apr 17–20, 2027 | International Career Development Conference | Anaheim, CA |
SOLA — the State Officer Leadership Academy, June 2–5 in Russellville — is required for state officers.
Getting to Anaheim
The path to ICDC
- Compete at SCDC — February 8–9, Hot Springs.
- Place high enough in your event to qualify.
- Prepared events: submit your ICDC-qualifying entry by DECA’s deadline.
- Compete at ICDC — April 17–20, Anaheim.
To fill in: Arkansas’s specific qualifying rules — how many advance per event — from the State Packet and the AR DECA Advisor Handbook.
Required reading
Arkansas documents you should have read
- AR DECA Advisor Handbook — updated July 21, 2026
- AR DECA Constitution — approved March 4, 2024
- AR DECA Chapter Tool Kit & Survival Guide
- State Packet — on the Conferences page
- AR CTSO Student AV Release Form — required
- AR DECA Regional Event/Activity Form
From people who made it
How Arkansas qualifiers prepared
Collect three or four short quotes from this year’s Arkansas ICDC qualifiers before publishing. Ask each: what event, when you started, and one thing you’d tell your September self. This is the section members will actually read — don’t ship the toolkit without it.
Name, Chapter — Event.
One sentence on when they started. One sentence on what actually worked. Suggested format per quote
One sentence on when they started. One sentence on what actually worked. Suggested format per quote
Section Eight
Quick Links
Kept current. If a link here is dead, tell your advisor.
DECA Inc.
Official national resources
- DECA Guide 2026-2027
- Competitive Events overviewdeca.org/compete
- HS Exam Blueprintdeca.org/compete
- District Instructional Areas
- 2026-27 Competitive Events Poster
- 2026-27 Career Cluster Poster
- Updates for 2026-2027decadirect.org
- DECA Direct Weekly
- DECA Brand Guidedeca.org/brand
- DECA Scholarships
Arkansas DECA
State resources
- AR DECA Advisor Handbook
- AR DECA Constitution
- Chapter Tool Kit & Survival Guide
- Charity Contact Information
- AR CTSO Student AV Release Form
- AR DECA Regional Event/Activity Form
- DECA Drive
- State Packet — on the Conferences page
- AAMET — Arkansas Association for Marketing Education Teachers
Questions?
