Dear PA FBLA Advisers
A GIANT OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT!
Each year, Pennsylvania FBLA strives to provide the best quality program and experience for our FBLA members, their advisers, and others who attend and experience a PA FBLA State Leadership Conference.
Pennsylvania FBLA is proud to announce that the Monday, April 17, Opening Session and the Tuesday, April 18, Awards Program will be held at the state of the art “Giant Center” in Hershey!!!!
The Giant Center is known as the home of the PIAA State Championships for various athletic events, most notably basketball and wrestling. Well, the Giant Center and Hershey Lodge will now be known as:
“The Home of the 2022-2023 Pennsylvania FBLA State Championships”
Why are we making a move to the Giant Center for our Opening Session and Awards Session and not keeping them at the Hershey Lodge?
With the event a little less than a month away, we’re down to the nitty gritty of finalizing details for this year’s event. Pre-registration for the State Leadership Conference is approximately 5000 members and advisers, which is our second largest event ever.
Earlier this year, adviser responses in Blue Panda indicated that there would be 4000-4100 attending the Opening Session and the Awards Program. In the past, I know we had approximately 4000 seats set in Great American Hall (and that was extremely tight), but the maximum capacity for the Great American Hall is now approximately 3600 according fire regulations; and under no circumstances will we compromise the safety of our attendees. To maintain a safe environment for all attendees at our Opening Session and Awards Program with proper egress, we have set in motion having those two events at the Giant Center!
Janet Skiles and I have been in discussions with various key figures and have been getting our ducks in order to make this a very special event, especially regarding transport to/from the hotels to the Giant Center. By nature of the location itself, security will be enhanced as the Giant Center will have its own security staff, and it will not be an open event where anyone can walk in off the street as they could at the Hershey Lodge.
When the pandemic canceled our 2020 SLC, we were planning to hold those two events at the Giant Center. This year, it will become a reality (and that’s why the Board of Directors had approved holding the Giant Center for our SLC through 2032 as we continue to grow to our pre-pandemic levels).
An additional benefit: What this does is provide additional space for the comprehensive career and leadership development programs Janet Skiles is organizing by opening additional meeting space in the Great American Hall for those programs. More to follow.
An additional benefit: When we were last planning for the Giant Center, we were opening sections of the Giant Center for parents/families who may want to come and watch the Awards Program. That’s the plan again this year – to offer a low-cost ticket for parents/family members/guests/other FBLA members to be part of the ceremony and be seated in separate sections. More to follow this week.
Why choose the Giant Center?
- It seats approximately 10,000 in the arena.
- All of PA FBLA will be in one room at the same time for the Opening Session and the Awards Program. One room – just imagine that -- with lots of space and the benefits that come with being at the Giant Center, especially having staging appropriately sized for the venue.
- The look and feel of the staging will be enhanced with a professionalism and excitement that we have not been able to offer because of our space limitations.
- When standing on what will be the stage, everyone in the arena is actually closer to the stage than if you were sitting toward the back of the Great American Hall. You can’t even imagine how close everyone appears to that stage until you are actually the on the floor.
- There will be more than adequate shuttle service to and from the arena that will be provided to conference attendees, but everyone is welcome to use their own vehicles as there will be ample parking. That’s your choice. We have contracted additional shuttle buses for peak movement to and from the Opening Session and the Awards Program -- in addition to the regular shuttles transporting students to and from the Hershey Lodge from the overflow hotels.
What impact does this have on the SLC schedule/what events will be at the Giant Center?
Monday, April 17:
- 06:30-07:30 pm: Local Chapter Voting Delegates meeting with state officer candidates at the Giant Center. Campaign speeches will occur at the time. Details regarding shuttle service for delegates will be announced.
- 07:30-08:30 pm: Opening Session Pre-show
-
08:30-10:30 pm: Opening Session, which includes state project awards, membership awards, recognition awards, chapter report awards, Who's Who in PA FBLA, William Selden Scholarships, and the William Selden Outstanding Chapter recognition; AND what will be an exciting, motivational, inspirational, and impactful keynote speaker. Announcement of open events awards winners will occur in this session.
Tuesday, April 18:
- 06:00-07:00 pm: Awards Session Pre-show
- 07:00-10:15 pm: Awards of Excellence Program, which will include announcement of award recipients in middle school events; high school individual/team competitive events; announcement and installation of the 2023-2024 state officer team
- 10:30 pm-11:15 pm: National Leadership Conference Orientation, which includes essential/critical information on the 2023 NLC in Atlanta; registration procedures; travel options; and the role chapter advisers play in all of this. The Top 4 in each event are eligible to attend and represent Pennsylvania.
Imagine . . . .
Imagine . . . . the PA FBLA State Championships.
Imagine . . . . the PA FBLA State Championships flashing on the marquee outside the Giant Center.
Imagine . . . . you and your students at the inaugural PA FBLA State Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey!
We hope to see you and your students there! Remember, any member and adviser registered and paid is welcome to and is eligible to attend the Opening Session and the Awards Program (even if you indicated your chapter would not be in attendance).
Bruce
