By Annie Phan, @deca.annie | Decatur High School, WA
It's DECA season! You know what that means...MEMBER RECRUITMENT TIME!!
Meeting themes are a great way to show your school that DECA is extraordinary. They also encourage and persuade someone unfamiliar with DECA to attend the meeting, boosting member retention.
Check out these five themes for your next chapter meeting:
1. Gummy Cluster Meeting
One of the most important parts of DECA is the event clusters, so why not pair DECA clusters with Nerds Gummy Clusters?
Decatur DECA’s chapter planned a meeting where members learned about each cluster and then picked their cluster. It was a popular meeting. The incentive for members to go to the meeting was that they would get Nerds Gummy Clusters and find their cluster, of course.
2. Choco Pie Meeting
This meeting theme is similar to the gummy cluster idea, but this time it’s about PI’s (performance indicators). PI’s are also really important for members to learn, understand and use in roleplays.
Having Choco Pie, a delicious little cream cake as the prize for winning a Kahoot or Blooket about PI’s. Pie plus PI’s equals CRAZY COMBO for member recruitment.
3. Get The Scoop on DECA Meeting
It’s still warm outside…summer is not just over yet. Get the Scoop on DECA would be a great first meeting theme. With fruity popsicles and or little chocolate cones, say goodbye to summer and hello to DECA season! Have attendees enjoy the icy treat while getting the scoop about what DECA is.
4. Stranger Things Meeting
With the release of the final season of ‘Stranger Things’, a great way to introduce members to the “strangers” in your chapter is to host a ‘Stranger Things’ meeting. Incorporate a lesson on how to introduce yourself to judges for events. Add scary graphics of the demogorgon or the characters in the slides.
5. Holiday Themed Meetings
Give members time to relax, have a break from their hard work and host a holiday-themed meeting.
For example, a winter potluck where you play holiday games and have everyone bring a little snack to share. You could also do a Halloween or Valentine’s themed meeting.
