DECA competition highlights state’s business future

400 students advance to international competition in Orlando

More than 1,000 high school marketing students from every corner of the state gathered in Lake Geneva, March 13-15, to compete for a spot on Wisconsin’s team for the International DECA Competition. This year, Wisconsin will send 400 marketing students to the international competition to be held April 28 through May 2 in Orlando, Fla.

DECA is an association of goal-oriented high school students with career interests in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship. Operating on the local, state, and national levels, DECA helps students build skills that will help them successfully transition into their future careers through activities inside and outside of the classroom. Wisconsin DECA was founded in 1965 and currently represents 12,000 students in 148 local chapters statewide.

DECA competition categories include individual and team events. Individual events require students to solve a business challenge and present a plan with only 10 minutes to prepare in professional areas ranging from marketing management and retail merchandising to accounting applications and sports and entertainment marketing. For team events, teams of two individuals have 30 minutes to solve a management-related case study followed by a 10-minute presentation to a judge. Occupational areas include travel and tourism management, financial analysis, e-commerce, and business law and ethics. Students also may prepare extensive written marketing projects and submit them at the competition.

About the Foundation for Wisconsin DECA

The Foundation for Wisconsin DECA develops resources through business partnerships for the purposes of providing advanced opportunities for professional development, leadership and training and skill enhancement in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship for high school students. Partnerships and resources benefit Wisconsin’s Marketing Education secondary students (DECA members) and their teachers, who in turn strengthen and serve the business communities in Wisconsin.

For more information regarding Wisconsin DECA, visit http://www.wideca.org or contact Julie Blystone at (608) 256-6357 or jblystone@hiebing.com.

For more information about SEAchange, contact: John Johnson at (608) 266-1098.

Last updated on 4/16/2007