2027 State Career Development Conference

The 2027 Georgia DECA State Career Development Conference (State CDC) is Georgia DECA’s statewide conference for affiliated student members and advisors, combining competitive events with leadership sessions and workshops. It runs January 28–30, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, with conference programming scheduled from Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning.

Competition

Competition is a central part of State CDC, covering Principles of Business Administration, Individual Series, Team Decision Making, Business Operations Research, Project Management, Integrated Marketing Campaign, Professional Selling, Personal Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship, and School-Based Enterprise competition. DECA describes association-level Career Development Conferences as the stage where members compete for the opportunity to represent their association at ICDC.

Dates, venue and cost

The conference begins at 2 p.m. Thursday, January 28, and concludes at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 30, with competitions, sessions, and workshops at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree Street. Georgia DECA currently lists registration at $90 for students and advisors, $60 for chaperones or Friday-only Middle School Day participants, and housing at $235 per room per night; registration includes conference admission, materials, and a T-shirt.

Important deadlines

The current official schedule lists October 30, 2026 as the registration deadline for state-qualifying testing, with testing held November 10–13. State CDC registration is due December 11, written-event manuals are due January 8, 2027, and payment is due January 15; late payment carries a 5% fee or $50 minimum.

What comes next

State CDC sits on the pathway toward DECA’s International Career Development Conference (ICDC). For 2027, ICDC is scheduled for April 17–20 in Anaheim, California, and Georgia DECA says attendees competing there must have earned an eligible slot for competitive events, academies, or campaigning.