Dear PA FBLA Advisers
For your planning, please focus on these upcoming dates/deadlines as we speed ahead in the SLC season.
Reminder: ALL performances will be "live and in person" in Hershey in front of a panel of judges. Actual performance schedules/time slots will be tentatively posted by April 03 on the PA FBLA website.
All are 2023 dates.
Submit them as you become aware of them. 50% registration fee refund through April 1; recalculated lodging fee refunded after drops.
March 06-10: Production tests administered at home schools; tests distributed to advisers no later than March 02.
March 15: Deadline for upload of production tests as assets in Blue Panda by adviser.
March 15: Final order deadline for:
March 20-24: Online objective tests administered at home schools under school staff supervision for events with role plays onsite in Hershey (example: Marketing, Entrepreneurship, etc.)
March 24: Deadline for Emergency Forms/Other Documents
All forms are to be uploaded as assets via Blue Panda.
March 27: Top 15 finalists announced for events with role plays at the state conference that were tested during the week of March 20-24.
March 31: Submission deadline for state officer flyer design competition.
March 27-31: Open competitive events administered at home schools.
March 27-31: Tentative week/timeline for release of hotel assignments (pending hotel approval).
April 01: Last day to use SLC Change Form for 50% registration refund and recalculated lodging totals; no refunds starting April 02.
April 01: Final payment "postmark" deadline for Hersheypark tickets; payment suggested deadline for SLC shirts/hoodies.
April 03-07: Tentative release date for SLC leadership development and career development programs AND accountability journal.
April 03: Tentative release of preliminary round performance time slots/locations on Monday, April 17, and final round performance time slots/locations for state-only individual/team and chapter state-only competitive events.
April 03-14: Individual online objective tests administered at home schools under the direct supervision of school staff. This is an extension of one week creating a two-week window. The change has occurred due to a number of schools being closed on spring break the week of April 10-14.
April 05: Tentative release date for state conference app.
April 16: SLC registration opens at 7:00 pm on Sunday night.
- Hersheypark open
- Sunday Fun Night
April 16: Important Adviser Session: FBLA Branding Guidelines/Obligations and The State of Pennsylvania's FBLA Regions. Sunday evening time/location TBD. Will be repeated on Monday and Tuesday. It is essential that advisers attend one of these sessions.
April 17, by 12:00 noon: Final date for state project contribution checks to be submitted by 12:00 noon to be considered for state project awards presented at Opening General Session. Bring checks to Conference HQ, Cocoa Terrace meeting room.
April 18: Awards Program will be livestreamed (details to be announced).
April 18: National Leadership Conference orientation (immediately after the Awards Program)
National Leadership Conference Information/Deadlines:
NLC Lodging Procedures
All lodging reservations MUST be made through Pennsylvania FBLA. Pennsylvania FBLA will manage all housing for anyone traveling to the NLC for PA FBLA high school and middle school NLC competitors/travelers. You cannot make your own housing arrangements; you cannot call in to the hotel and make your own reservations. Everyone must stay in FBLA designated/contracted hotels.
Pennsylvania FBLA has been assigned to the Omni Atlanta CNN Center, which is attached to the convention center.
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BE AWARE: National FBLA will be comparing the names of all competitors, advisers, chaperones, and guests registered through its Blue Panda portal with lodging lists submitted by Pennsylvania FBLA no later than May 16. If National FBLA finds a competitor that is not on the lodging list supplied by Pennsylvania (and National FBLA has made it clear that they will be comparing the two lists), the competitor will not be permitted to compete. That's the National FBLA policy, and that's why everyone reads the policy and clearly understands it.
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NLC Registration/Placement in Competitive Events
NEW IN 2023! Local Chapter Advisers (not parents, not chaperones, and not Bruce Boncal or any other PA FBLA state office staff member) will register qualified students for competitive events during the conference registration process. Bruce Boncal will describe the process to declare whether competitors ARE or ARE NOT competing at the NLC Orientation. The traditional process that we have used for declaring participation OR dropping is no longer valid.
It is the responsibility of the local chapter adviser to register all participants; place them in competitive events; and make sure payments are made on time.
FBLA Member Registration Fee: $195 per person
FBLA Adviser and Chaperone Registration Fee: $100 per person
The good news: National FBLA will be using its Blue Panda portal for local advisers to register NLC attendees and place students in competitive events. The somewhat bad news: National FBLA's local adviser login access on Blue Panda will be the same as your login to the National FBLA membership system; it will not be your Pennsylvania FBLA Blue Panda login. The other good news: local advisers should be familiar now with the Blue Panda environment when registering students; placing students in competitive events; uploading assets, etc.
NLC Travel Arrangements
NLC participants (FBLA members and their advisers, parents, chaperones, guests) will have freedom to choose how and when they will travel to and from Atlanta and on the dates and times they choose. Keep in mind that Delta Airlines' home is Atlanta, but it is also a major destination for American, United, Southwest. Somewhere about April 1, we will be offering a Zoom webinar on the travel process, but we will also be offering a detailed overview at the NLC Orientation after the Awards Program.
At this time, PA FBLA only has 133 sleeping rooms available on June 25 (all (but three) are king beds). Starting June 26, there are 300 sleeping rooms available (1/2 king beds / 1/2 two queen beds). Make plans accordingly. Rooms are available for the nights of June 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. Final checkout is July 1. Check the NLC Schedule at a Glance for general competitive events information. If you read the policy, it's clear that not having the room configuration you wish is not a reason to avoid staying in the assigned PA FBLA hotel).
Lodging Rate Per Night (1-4 per room (if two doubles beds are available):
$308/room (taxes and fees included); no cots.
Key Deadlines:
May 09: Pennsylvania FBLA lodging deadline (for housing at the NLC) with a $100 per person deposit POSTMARKED OR PAID BY CREDIT CARD by May 09. Pennsylvania FBLA will be required to submit lodging housing lists to the National FBLA NLC Housing Bureau by May 16 (that is our hard and fast deadline to avoid a financial penalty). PA FBLA advisers will be able to register and identify lodging preferences via our state's Blue Panda portal, but it must close by May 09.
May 09: National FBLA registration deadline for high school and middle school competitors through National FBLA website (advisers MUST do this) along with any pre-judged items uploaded as assets (resumes, letters, URLs).
May 16: National FBLA registration deadline for all high school and middle school non-competitors through National FBLA website (advisers MUST do this). No one will be able to be registered after this deadline; there will be NO on-site registration is Atlanta.
May 16: National FBLA school-site production tests (Computer Apps, Database Apps, Spreadsheet Apps, Word Processing) must be administered by this date, and the URL of the folder containing items to be graded must be uploaded by May 16. Local chapter advisers MAY NOT receive the national tests OR be involved in the administration of the tests or the upload of the files for judging, which will be a different process than what we use in Pennsylvania. Local chapter advisers MUST find a non-FBLA adviser that will receive all communication regarding the production tests.
June 16: National FBLA registration payment "RECEIVED BY" deadline.
Registration may be paid by check, by credit card, or districts may submit a purchase order to National FBLA. However, payment must be RECEIVED BY June 16. I strongly encourage you to pay by credit card.
