Planning for the National FFA Convention
Planning for the convention
There's a lot to consider when planning a trip to the national FFA convention, but it's always worth the effort! Here, you'll find information on what to wear, how to pay for your trip, who to invite and more.
Eight Easy Steps
With so many activities to choose from during the national FFA convention, it's a good idea to have a plan. Make the most of your chapter's time at convention by following these eight easy steps.
Eight Steps to Convention Planning Success
Budgeting
To determine how much money you'll need to raise for your chapter's trip, estimate each student's costs for attending the convention. Add up travel and lodging fees, registration fees, activity fees and estimated food and entertainment costs.
When budgeting for your trip, keep in mind that FFA is not tax-exempt in Indiana. The total tax rate on a hotel room in Indianapolis and Marion County is 17 percent. Tax rates on hotel rooms in surrounding counties may be lower. Log in to MyFFA for a list of room rates that include all applicable taxes.
Convention in the Classroom
Convention doesn't have to end at the drop of the gavel on Saturday. How can your members apply what they've learned at home? Below are suggestions to help harness your students' post-convention enthusiasm and channel it into their academic studies.
- Work with fellow faculty members to develop interdisciplinary assignments that may substitute for work your members missed while at convention. Students could write essays for English class about their experiences, develop expense reports for math or accounting classes or use information gathered at the career show and agriscience fair to prepare a presentation about scientific practices in agriculture for science classes.
- Ask agribusiness students to track their expenses while at the national FFA convention. Once they return home, students can develop expense reports for themselves or for the chapter.
- Ask students to collect ideas for chapter activities from FFA members across the country, then report on these ideas at a chapter meeting.
- The national FFA convention is a great place for scavenger, photo and signature hunts. Have students search for items and information from specific colleges, state FFA associations and agriculture-related businesses.
Official Dress
Wearing Official FFA Dress while at the national FFA convention helps us to maintain the professional and positive image FFA has earned over the years. We ask that all FFA members follow the standards of proper Official Dress while attending the convention.
Please review the FFA Official Dress code and order any needed items from Shop FFA as early as possible.
Scheduling
With so many amazing events and general sessions waiting for you at the 83rd National FFA Convention, it's hard to decide what to do first!
Opening ceremonies, national officer retiring addresses, award presentations, luncheons and dinners, FFA band, chorus and talent programs, guest speakers, the FFA Alumni auction—all of these events and more make the national FFA convention an experience of a lifetime.
Careful planning will ensure a convention to remember. Check out the schedule of events and talk with your chapter to set your priorities.
Who to Invite
Invite key school officials, FFA alumni, local sponsors and parents to attend the convention with your chapter. Seeing the magic of the national FFA convention firsthand is sure to strengthen their support of agricultural education and FFA!
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