In this issue...

Regional Leadership Conference (RLC) Results
Scholarship Applications and Special Recognition
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Registration
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Online Testing
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Prejudged Events
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Non-Competitive Opportunities
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Chapter Scrapbook Guidelines
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Community Service
State Leadership Conference (SLC) T-shirts and Pins
State Leadership Conference (SLC) Hotels
Required CTSO Release Form for 2016-17
Important Dates and Deadlines

Regional Leadership Conference (RLC) Results

All regional conference results can be found here. Congratulations to all state qualifiers!

Scholarship Applications and Special Recognition

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Registration

Conference registration will be available online using the same registration system as the regional conferences. Students whose membership dues have not been paid will not be able to be registered for the conference. On-site registration and/or registration changes will not be allowed. Changes will not be allowed after Friday, February 17, 2017 at 5 p.m. CST.

It is the Tennessee FBLA policy that all schools adhere to a 1:10 ratio of adults to students. Please make arrangements to have adequate supervision of your chapter members at the state conference.

Registration Availability
Regular registration window: February 6-17, 2017

Registration Fee
Regular Registration: $85.00 per attendee

Registration Fee without Hotel Reservations in a Conference Hotel
Regular Registration: $135.00 per attendee
(Conference attendees who choose to stay in a non-conference hotel are assessed an additional $50.00 per attendee.)

Registration Link
Online registration will open on Monday, February 6, 2017.
Registration will be available at http://www.registermychapter.com/fbla/tn/.
Please note special needs (physical and dietary) for attendees in the registration system.

Conference Payment Information
All payments are due in full in the Tennessee FBLA office by Friday, February 24, 2017. Checks should be made payable to Tennessee FBLA.

Once registration is closed, changes will not be allowed. There will be no on-site changes allowed.

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Online Testing

This year, all SLC competitive event testing, including objective and production tests, must be conducted online at your local school prior to the state conference using the same testing procedures as the regional conferences. Paper testing will not take place at the state conference.

The online testing window for all Tennessee FBLA chapters is February 27-March 3, 2017.

Important Things to Remember:

You are welcome to register as many proctors as needed for your students to test efficiently.
Please verify the correct spelling of your proctor’s email address to prevent delays in testing.
All online testing must be administered during the week of February 27-March 3, 2017 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST each testing day.
You are highly encouraged to test your students early in the week. Please avoid waiting until the last day to test your students.

All proctor instruction emails will be sent on the weekend of February 25-26, 2017.

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Prejudged Events

The events listed below will accept submissions for the 2017 Tennessee FBLA State Leadership Conference electronically. The links for students to submit their work are listed below and will be posted on the SLC Prejudged Events webpage. Students may only submit their work one time. Due to the file size and complexity, submissions for Coding and Programming, Desktop Application Programming, and Mobile Application Development must be submitted by mail with three (3) DVDs/CDs/USB drives and received by February 24, 2017 at 5 p.m. CST to:

Tennessee FBLA
(Attn: Steven J. Mitchell)
710 James Robertson Parkway
Andrew Johnson Tower, 11th Floor
Nashville, Tennessee 37243

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Non-Competitive Opportunities

Voting Delegates

Each chapter is encouraged to bring two (2) voting delegates to the state conference. Every voting delegate must be registered as a "voting delegate" to represent their chapter in the voting delegate sessions. Competitors are NOT allowed to be voting delegates.

#LegacyofLeadershipTN Academy

This leadership development academy is for non-competing students only. In the #LegacyofLeadershipTN academy, students will learn strategies to develop their local chapter and engage their community while networking with Tennessee FBLA leaders of today and tomorrow. Each chapter is allotted up to two (2) spots for this academy. The academy's content will be directed to freshmen, sophomore, and junior members.

Hospitality Committee

The hospitality committee is the glue that holds the state conference together behind the scenes. Members of this committee will help prepare conference registration materials, welcome and escort judges to their assigned areas, serve as runners for the advisers working the competitive events, assist in setting up the opening and closing sessions, and assist the state adviser and other conference management staff as needed throughout the conference. This small group of students are the "go-to" crew for anything that needs a little extra attention or assistance during the conference. Students must apply to be a part of this team. Consider your current or potential chapter officers who are extremely responsible, mature and task-oriented for this role. The application can be found here. Chapter advisers will be notified once all applications have been reviewed and the strongest applicants have been selected to serve in this capacity. The application deadline is February 10, 2017 by 5 p.m. CST.

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Chapter Scrapbook Guidelines

The 2017 scrapbook guidelines can be found on the Tennessee FBLA competitive events webpage or by clicking here.

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Community Service

Silent Auction
Each year, a silent auction fundraiser is held at the Tennessee FBLA State Leadership Conference to provide funding for first and second place winners to attend the FBLA National Leadership Conference. To share in the proceeds from this auction, your school must provide a minimum of two baskets for the silent auction. The baskets are to be turned upon your arrival to the conference registration desk. Each basket should be valued at a minimum of $10.00. Please attach a card with a description of the basket contents, its approximate value, and your full chapter name.

March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is our national community service partner. Each chapter is encouraged to donate a check in the amount of $1.00 per conference attendee. Doing so, we can help babies begin a healthy life. Each chapter is encouraged to submit their check to the local March of Dimes office and turn in a March of Dimes Fundraising Report during onsite chapter check-in. If chapters choose to bring their donation to the conference, checks must be made payable to "March of Dimes" and can be turned in at the conference registration desk. (Each chapter will have an opportunity to send their chapter president or another designee on stage during the opening session to submit their chapter’s donation.)

Ronald McDonald House Can Tab Drive
By donating can tabs to the Ronald McDonald House, Tennessee FBLA members can help provide families a place to stay while their critically ill children receive inpatient or outpatient medical care at area hospitals. Chapters can collect can tabs and place them in gallon jugs. Can tabs should be donated at your local Ronald McDonald House or they can be turned in at the registration desk at SLC. Chapters that deliver can tabs must submit the Can Tab Verification Form at registration to be recognized during the conference.

Tennessee Family Literacy Project
For a number of years, Tennessee FBLA members have collected books to donate to Tennessee families. While we encourage you to make donations of new books in your community and submit a Tennessee Family Literacy Project Donation Verification Form, during onsite chapter check-in, your chapter can submit new children's books to be donated to Chattanooga-area families.

State Leadership Conference (SLC) T-shirts and Pins

Pre-order Cost Information
Pre-order Deadline: February 17, 2017 at 5 p.m. CST.

One conference t-shirt and one state pin will be included for every registered conference participant. Additional conference t-shirts and pins can be pre-ordered through the registration website. Click “Items” beside the student's name to pre-order additional quantities of these items.

Payment is due in the state office by February 24, 2017.

T-shirt: $10 (S-XL)/$12 (XXL and XXXL)
Pin: $2

On-site Cost Information
A limited quantity of t-shirts and pins will be available on-site for purchase.

T-shirt: $15 (S-XL)/$20 (XXL and XXXL)
Pin: $3

State Leadership Conference (SLC) Hotels

Conference hotel reservations will be available from Monday, February 20, 2017 at 8 a.m. CST until Monday, February 24, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

To assist in accurate reservations, please only reserve rooms at the hotel where you can commit to staying. All hotel rooms in the FBLA room blocks will be available on February 20, 2017. Additional rooms will not be added after this date.

Tennessee FBLA has an agreement with the Marriott and the Chattanoogan (behind the convention center) to book 80 percent of the contracted rooms; otherwise, our organization will face additional costs. Please consider staying at these two hotels.

Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please only reserve the number of hotel rooms necessary for your chapter. The hotel rates are as follows:

Chattanooga Marriott Downtown
- $145/night + applicable taxes & fees
The Chattanoogan
- $151/night + applicable taxes & fees
Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel
- $115/night + applicable taxes & fees
Days Inn Rivergate Downtown
- $119/night + applicable taxes & fees
Doubletree Hotel Chattanooga
- $164/night + applicable taxes & fees
Hampton Inn & Suites Chattanooga Downtown
- $164/night + applicable taxes & fees
Hilton Garden Inn Chattanooga Downtown
- $164/night + applicable taxes & fees
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chattanooga Downtown
- $164/night + applicable taxes & fees
The Read House Historic Inn & Suites
- $139/night + applicable taxes & fees

(NOTE: The total taxes are 17.25%. Of that percentage, 9.25% can be waived by the hotel if the appropriate tax exempt form for your school is provided upon check-in. The remaining 8% is an occupancy tax that cannot be waived.)

Required CTSO Release Form for 2016-17

All 2016-17 FBLA conference participants must have a signed CTSO release form on file before participation can be granted. Please click here to download a copy of the form. Advisers must keep all release forms in their possession at all times and be prepared to show them at the registration table at any FBLA conference. Attendees without a signed form on file will be sent home from the conference and will be unable to participate.

All required Tennessee FBLA forms can be found here.

Important Dates and Deadlines

February 2017
6–17 State Leadership Conference Registration
20–24 State Leadership Conference Hotel Reservations
24 State Leadership Conference Payments Due
27–March 3 State Leadership Conference Online Testing

March 2017
19–22 State Leadership Conference | Chattanooga, TN