Advisor Hub

Membership Overview

LINKS

Start a New Chapter

Interested in starting a new chapter at your school? Click this link to learn more!

Also reach out to Dave Wait for more information.

New Advisors at an Existing Chapter

IMPORTANT DATES

September 30	Activate your DECA chapter to receive free competition resources from national DECA with at least 10 students and 1 advisor.
October 31	Initial membership must be submitted by this date. Additions are allowed up to each conference’s registration deadline.
November 30	Membership invoices must be PAID by this date for eligibility: • Gimmie 5! Award • Conference Credit Incentive for Gimmie 5! Award chapters • To be counted towards your District’s allocated number of State Conference qualifiers that are recognized at the District Conference • To be eligible for Michigan THRIVE level rewards in the DECA Membership Campaign
February 15	Final Payment due for all membership invoices Note: Student members must be paid by this date to be eligible to register for State and International Conferences

FAQ

All students must be submitted as members in the DECA Membership Portal prior to registration for a conference. If they are not showing in the Conference Registration System, you might have forgotten to submit their membership.
Once submitted, members cannot be voided, deleted, or substituted; even if they have dropped from your class or program.
Misspelled a name? Click the icon of the little head on the member’s row to request a name change.

2026-2027 UPDATES

The use of Adobe Express as part of the DECA Chapter Campaign submissions is required.

For the Promotional Campaign, Adobe Express must be used for one outreach activity.
For the Community Service Campaign, Adobe Express must be used for the form of publicity or promotion.
Adobe Express for Education is available to all DECA chapters free of charge. Information about accessing Adobe Express for free is available here.

Membership Contact

Dave Wait
Michigan DECA State Director
734.487.3322
dwait@emich.edu

Conference Registration Information

Click on the conference to jump to registration information, instructions, links, and forms.

New Advisor Workshop

October 8
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Registration has closed

State Leadership Summit

October 26 & 27, 2026
East Lansing, Michigan

Conference has reached capacity, so registration has closed

Sports & Entertainment Marketing Workshop

December 2, 2026
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

Registration due November 13

District Conference

Dates and Locations Vary

Registration due:
November 23 at early rate
December 3 at late rate

State Career Development Conference

March 11-13, 2027
Detroit, Michigan

Registration and Housing due Feb 4

International Career Development Conference

April 17-21, 2027
Anaheim, California

Registration, Housing, and Flights due March 15

Competition Overview

LINKS

DECA+ subscription is provided to Michigan chapters free of charge. Logins sent to Advisors the Wednesday after submission of at least 10 students and 1 Advisor.

RESOURCES

District Conference Event List – includes number each chapter is allowed in each event.

District Conference Student Event Worksheet (Google Sheet) – a file that is great for printing and posting as a signup sheet on a bulletin board

State Conference Event List – number each chapter is allowed in each event.

State Conference Student Event Worksheet (Google Doc) – a file that is great for printing and posting as a signup sheet on a bulletin board

IMPORTANT DATES

November 7	Submit the Online Test Scheduling Form to lock-in your online test dates and Proctor for the District Conference Comprehensive Exam.
One week prior to District Conf.	Prepared Events submission for the District Conference Projects must be uploaded to the Online Judge Portal one week prior to your District Conference date. The link will be emailed to advisors.
February 1	Qualifier Not Attending Form Due If you have a qualifier not attending the State Conference in their qualified District Conference event, submit this form so we can call up the alternate to compete in place of your student.
February 9-15	Prepared Event submission for the State Conference Projects must be uploaded to the Online Judge Portal during this window. Hard copies of Chapter Award Program and Merit Award Program are due by February 15 to the Michigan DECA office.
March 15	Qualifier Not Attending Form Due If you have a qualifier not attending the International Conference, submit this form so we can call up the alternate to compete in place of your student.
March 23-30	Prepared Event submission for the International Conference Projects must be uploaded to the Online Judge Portal during this window.

FAQ

Can students compete in more than one event?
Students may compete in only ONE competitive event, with the exception of MICAP, MIGMAP, SBE, and the online-only events and challenges. Refer to this policy for more information.

What happens if a student needs to drop from a team event?
Refer to the Competitive Event Cancellation policy for specific information.

How many students can my chapter have compete in each event?
Refer to the Competition webpage here for specific information.

What happens if a student can’t attend the competition orientation at the State Conference due to sports, band, or a play?
Michigan DECA will excuse students from their Thursday event orientation meeting and comprehensive exam ONLY when the student has a school-related conflict that cannot be rescheduled or doctor’s note. Please note that practices for sports, drama, band, etc., are not applicable. A form will be available in January for Advisors to submit. Testing will be rescheduled to Friday at 10:00am or 3:00pm. Students will need to report on Friday to the event’s check-in at the first time listed in the conference program to receive their competition schedule.

My student needs to compete early or late at the State Conference due to sports, band, or a play. Can this be arranged?
Chapter Advisors may submit a letter on school letterhead for each student, detailing the request; include the student’s name, competitive event, and reason along with a signature. We will place a copy of this letter in the Event Director’s materials, who will make changes to the event schedule at the conference. Please note that we are NOT able to reschedule interviews, role plays and case presentations outside of the posted event timeframe, since these activities involve individuals from the business community that are evaluating students.

2026-2027 UPDATES

Evaluation forms for ALL competitive events in DECA’s Competitive Events Program have been updated. Outlines for Prepared Events have also been updated. Refer to the National DECA Guide or the online competitive event guidelines for complete details.
Competition for the three Integrated Marketing Campaign competitive events (Event, Product, and Service) will now start competition at the District Conference; students will need to qualify to advance on to the State Conference. Pitch decks needs to be uploaded one week prior to your District Conference date.
School Based Enterprise now has a non-refundable, required $25 application fee for each submission. An invoice will be automatically generated and emailed to the chapter advisor. Payment must be received in order to complete the certification or re-certification process.