Virginia
DECA Update, November 1, 2005
Virtual
Business | Merit/Honor Society Awards
DECA and
Knowledge Matters, Inc. are teaming up once again to present the 2005-06
DECA Virtual Business Challenge, which is an official competitive event.
Knowledge Matters has some exciting news about this year’s DECA
VBC!
This
year, DECA members have the opportunity to compete for more national
qualifier positions due to the introduction of a new track. The DECA
VBC is now composed of a Retailing and a Sports track. This means more
Challenges, more live ICDC sessions, more scholarship money, more decisions
and more excitement! Participants will use a DECA version of the Virtual
Business – Retailing 2.0 and the all new Virtual Business –
Sports software to test their marketing skills against members across
the nation. Do not let your students miss out on this totally interactive
technological competition. Be sure to have them visit http://www.knowledgematters.com/vbc/index.php.
Team registration begins on October 31, 2005.
We have some quick facts about the 2005-06 VBC that you may want to
share with your Chapter Advisors:
- Two Challenges (one for
each semester)
- Top 2 teams from each
of the 4 regions will qualify for Nationals (8 teams from each Challenge)
for the Retailing Track
- Top team from each of
the 4 regions will qualify for Nationals (4 teams from each Challenge)
for the Sports Track
- No more than one team,
per chapter, per Challenge may qualify for Nationals (Retailing Track)
- Teams will use a limited
function version of the upgraded Virtual Business - Retailing 2.0
software and the all new Virtual Business – Sports software
- Qualifying teams will
use the multiplayer capability at Nationals
- Team members are required
to wear DECA blazers at the ICDC this year
- Schools that own the
upgraded version of Virtual Business - Retailing 2.0 or the all new
Virtual Business - Sports will not need to install additional software
to run the VBC
- The top team in each state
will receive a certificate of recognition at their state conference
- DECA members may only
be registered on one team for each track
- DECA members may not be
added to a team after a team has been registered or once the team
has qualified for Nationals
Registration for the VBC begins on October 31st. Teams of one to three
students may register by visiting www.KnowledgeMatters.com
and clicking on the DECA icon. A student may not be a member of more
than one team for one particular track and an unlimited number of teams
per chapter may register to participate. The first Challenge will run
from November 7th until December 2nd. The software needed to participate
in the competition will be available on our site beginning on November
7th. The second Challenge will run from January 9th until February 3rd.
Each Challenge will be based on specific marketing decisions and all
other decisions will be preset. The top eight teams from the Retailing
Track and the top four teams from the Sports Track from each Challenge
will receive t-shirts and recognition on the Knowledge Matters web site.
The top sixteen teams from the Retailing Track and the top eight teams
from the Sports Track will qualify for Nationals. The top eight teams
from the Retailing Track and the top four teams from the Sports Track
at Nationals will receive scholarship money, recognition at the Grand
Awards Ceremony at ICDC, and the first place team will receive recognition
on the Knowledge Matters site.
This year, teams will be using a limited function version of the all
new Virtual Business – Sports and the recently upgraded Virtual
Business – Retailing 2.0 to compete. At Nationals, the qualifying
teams will be introduced to the new multiplayer capability that is included
in all Virtual Business products. This means that teams will be operating
their stores and sports franchises in the same simulated economies as
each other during Nationals. If you would like information about the
software to have available at your individual state conferences or meetings,
please let me know.
The individual Challenges are not timed events. Players may complete
the Challenge and upload to our Web site as many times as they wish.
We will always rank teams based on their highest score. The National
event is timed and will follow a double elimination format.
A more in depth description of the 2005-06 VBC rules may be found at
http://www.knowledgematters.com/vbc/index.php.
Please share this updated information with the Chapter Advisors in your
individual states. If you have any questions regarding the DECA VBC,
I may be contacted at Ginley@KnowledgeMatters.com.
Have fun and good luck to your state!
Thank you,
Maureen Ginley
Assistant Director of Marketing
Merit
Awards and Honor Society
If you are one of those disappointed
in the fact that Virginia will no longer recognize Merit/HS recipients
on stage, I understand how you feel It saddens me, too. However, I think
once you understand why this decision was made, you'll be "disappointed
but ok with it." Last year we had more Merit Award and Honor Society
applications and recipients that ever before. However, only 16% of the
chapters in attendance at SLC had Merit Award recipients, and only 21%
had Honor Society recipients. That means that 84% of the chapters weren't
involved during the Merit Award presentation, and 79% during the Honor
Society. That's most of the people in attendance. In addition, I do
read EVERY word of every evaluation that we receive as a result of the
State Leadership Conference. Every year I see the same thing. "The
opening session is too long and boring." "Bring in a motivational
speaker." "Do something to energize us during the opening
session. It's boring and long."
So, as disappointed as I
am that we weren't able to cultivate more interest in these awards,
we're doing what the lion's share of our delegation wants. It's BECAUSE
this conference is for the students that we have made the change. If,
after a year or two, the feedback is not positive, we'll reconsider.
We're always looking to improve the conference in ways that makes it
your conference. We knew before making this decision that most of your
that participate in these awards would be disappointed, making the decision
that much more difficult. However, we truly are trying to do what's
in the best interest of our delegation. I hope you understand.
Virtual
Business | Merit/Honor Society Awards
Back
to the top
