State Conference

2026 State Leadership and Recognition Conference:
April 10-12 in Virginia Beach

The 2026 State Leadership & Recognition Conference, including the STAR Events competitions, will be held in Virginia Beach on April 10-12. The planning team is hard at work creating plans and activities that are both educational and fun. General information, hotel reservation forms, and critical conference forms are now available by scrolling down this page.

If you have comments, suggestions, compliments, or concerns related to the conference, please share those with Connie Rhoton, Virginia FCCLA State Adviser: crhoton@mecc.edu.

“My favorite FCCLA experience is the national conference where I  got to network with so many FCCLA members from around the country. It also has given me an opportunity to travel places I might not have been normally able to go.” Emma Light, 2025-2026 Vice President of Competitive Events, said this about her participation at the 2025 national conference in Orlando but the same is true for YOUR participation at our state conference. We are looking forward to seeing you in Virginia Beach!

General information about the state conference is available below. Registration for the 2026 conference will open in January 2026 – check back for the link to the registration site. The conference will be filled with entertaining general sessions, career and college information, informative workshops, competitions, scholarships and awards, and much more!

Contact for questions about the state conference:
Connie Rhoton
crhoton@mecc.edu

Contact for questions about competitive events or the online registration site:
Deborah Will
debbiewillFCCLA@comcast.net

Dates for Future Conferences
These are tentative dates pending finalization of meeting space contracts:

April 7-9, 2027
April 5-7, 2028

AGENDA AND IMPORTANT GENERAL INFORMATION:
Please review the tentative agenda and the general info document carefully before starting the registration process. Conference forms (required and optional) are provided in the column to the right. 

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:
Coming in January: Click here for instructions for registering your chapter in the online site – to register after March 27, contact Connie Rhoton: crhoton@mecc.edu.

Use this link to register online for the 2026 state conference – registration is now open!

HOTEL RESERVATION FORMS:
To begin, review the list of hotels holding room blocks for our groups. This information is also found on pages 5 & 6 of the Conference General Information document.
List of Hotels with 2026 FCCLA Blocks
Select your top choice based on which best meets your needs (bus parking, up to 6 in a room, short walk to VBCC, price, etc.). Comments regarding the advantages of each hotel are provided. It is important to stay in these hotels since they support FCCLA by holding the rooms until our February 15 deadline.
Reservation forms are sent directly to the hotel, not to Virginia FCCLA. Each adviser is responsible for working with their selected hotel to meet payment deadlines with a credit card or school check.

ALL HOTEL RESERVATION FORMS: Select the reservation form for your selected hotel from the list below.
DoubleTree by Hilton Virginia Beach – Headquarters Hotel – sold out for 2026
Capes Hotel
Comfort Suites Beachfront – sold out for 2026
Country Inn & Suites
Fairfield Inn & Suites – sold out for 2026
Hampton Inn North Oceanfront
Hampton Inn South Oceanfront
Holiday Inn Express
Sandcastle Resort
SpringHill Suites – sold out for 2026
Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront – accepting reservations until March 20 – rooms available

VIRGINIA BEACH SAVING PASS: Explore the all-access mobile pass to exclusive year-round deals at some of the favorite restaurants, attractions, and experiences.
Savings Pass Information Flyer
Link to Virginia Beach Savings Pass

Virginia Beach Aquarium Discount Tickets – Youth Groups Process updated March 5, 2026
The discount tickets apply to groups of 15 or more total people (including adults) so chapters with fewer attendees may want to join with another chapter in order to qualify for the discounts.

VIDEOS FROM RECENT STATE CONFERENCES

CONFERENCE FORMS

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER ATTENDS FREE FORM
Use this form to register your SRO to attend the conference as a chaperone, with waived registration fees.

ADVISER RESPONSIBILITY FORM (required)

STUDENT MEDICAL & CONDUCT FORM (required) This form is required for each student attendee.

ADVISERS’ CHECKLIST
Use this form as a resource to meet deadlines and complete important conference preparation tasks.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT FORM
Download this form to recognize up to 3 senior members for outstanding FCCLA involvement. (Due March 10)

HOSTS FOR GENERAL SESSIONS FORM
Download this form to volunteer students to serve as hosts for conference general sessions.

SLRC OUTREACH DONATION FORM
Download this form to support the 2026 conference Outreach Project and be recognized for that support. (Due March 10)

VIRGINIA FCCLA 2026 CONFERENCE DRESS CODE
Follow this Virginia FCCLA Dress Code for the 2026 State Leadership & Recognition Conference.

REFUND REQUEST FORM Download this document to request a refund for a conference registration. Please note: STAR Events fees are non-refundable.

Coming in April: PRESS RELEASES (Google Docs)
Make a copy of any of these documents to edit them for use in publicizing your participation in the conference.

Coming in April: CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION
(Canva Template)
Use this fillable certificate to recognize your participants. The certificate is also available in a PDF version)

VIRGINIA FCCLA STATE CONFERENCE BANQUET ATTIRE EXAMPLES
The above link will give pictorial examples of appropriate attire for the Banquet/Gala at the state conference.