Finding the Right Event for You

If you’re joining DECA for the first time this year, I’m sure you’ve already heard the question “What event are you doing?” a thousand times. Beyond knowing what DECA really stands for (shockingly, it’s not Donuts, Energy drinks, Cramming, and Anxiety), the thought of roleplays, slide decks, and papers can all be overwhelming at first–and that’s okay. Although it’s intimidating, the wide variety of events offered by DECA provides all of us with great opportunities as long as we know which ones to use.   Here’s a breakdown of how to find the right DECA event for you, adventure style.

Step 1: Know Your Strengths–and Your Weaknesses

DECA events can be divided into two categories: roleplays and projects. Roleplay events are completely on-the-spot; all verbal parts of your competition will be just like a pop quiz out loud. If you love to debate, take pride in your creativity, or rely more on intuition than memorization, a roleplay is likely the best route for you. On the other hand, projects take much more time of preparation, but you can perfect your presentation without the adrenaline of going in blind. If

you’re a pro at Canva Pro, have your own business, or love writing essays, projects are the avenue you seek.

If roleplays sound more like you, proceed to Step 2. If projects are more your type, skip down to Step 3.

Step 2: Finding Your Cluster

Roleplay events exist in 6 clusters throughout the world of business: management and administration, entrepreneurship, hospitality and tourism, marketing, finance, and personal finance. Roleplays can be solo or in teams of 2, with the team decision making (TDM) roleplays lasting longer and consisting of more questions.

If you live for spontaneous conversations, love working through problems with others, or are interested in the field of law, business management and administration events are geared towards your strengths. HR Management Individual Series and Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making are the two options in this cluster!

If you ever had a lemonade stand, hope to own your own business, or fly through Quizlet flashcards, entrepreneurship is the cluster for you. The events in this cluster are the solo Entrepreneurship Individual Series and its partner counterpart Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making.

If you love road trips, weave jokes throughout conversation easily, or know all of the ingredients of your go-to Starbucks drink, hospitality and tourism is perfect for you. A couple of the events in this cluster are Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making and Restaurant and Food Service Management Series.

If you maintain a heavily-curated Instagram page, always have a concert or sporting event to look forward to, or remember making many iMovie trailers growing up, marketing is your calling. With the most events to offer, just a few of the most exciting are Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making, Automotive Services Marketing Series, and Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series.

If you follow stocks, draw diagrams for everything, or dream of working on Wall Street, consider events in finance or personal finance. To be with a teammate, Finance Team Decision Making is right for you. Otherwise, Accounting Individual Series or other finance events are great options.

Still stuck? Go to Step 3 to learn more about projects!

Step 3: Your Project can be Your Future

Like roleplays, projects can be divided into categories: operations research, project management, entrepreneurship, integrated marketing campaign, and professional selling and consulting. As each has a different style, many competitors stay in the same event for 3 to 4 years. Most projects can have teams of one to three people!

If you know how to stand out to judges, want to learn more about how business works, or thrive on in-depth reports, operations research is perfect for you. Two of the most popular events in this category are Finance Operations Research and Sports and Entertainment Operations Research.

If you’re passionate about a cause that benefits your community or in charge of fundraising for your DECA chapter, project management events are geared for your passion. Community Awareness Project and Financial Literacy Project are both great opportunities to give back to your community in this category.

If you started your own business or love watching Shark Tank, you won’t go wrong with entrepreneurship projects. Each event in this category is extremely popular, but two notable ones are Business Growth Plan and International Business Plan.

If you maintain both a heavily-curated Instagram page and a consistent TikTok feed, never mute commercials, or stay loyal to one brand, Integrated Marketing Campaign is best for you. This event comes in three fonts (event, product, and service), each with the same expectations for your project.

If you’re well-versed in business vocab, excited to think on your feet, or interested in consulting, professional selling and consulting events could be right for you. Professional Selling, Financial Consulting, and Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling are the three events in this category.

Step 4: Dive In!

If you have more unanswered questions about which event is your destiny, you’re always welcome to reach out to your advisor, chapter officers, or State Officer Team 80. Additionally, more information is available in the list of competitive events at deca.org. We encourage new students in grades 9 and 10 to heavily consider principles events as well to gain a solid understanding of how DECA events work. One principles event exists for each roleplay cluster, excluding finance and personal finance. From Team 80 to you, good luck on your DECA journey!

Written by Isaac Schroeder, VP of Finance