96th National FFA Convention & Expo: Impact and Attendance Overview
National FFA is the premier youth organization dedicated to preparing its members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology sectors of the industry of agriculture. Each year, the National FFA Convention & Expo provides an opportunity to conduct the official business of the organization; increase outreach and engagement; recognize members’ and stakeholders’ accomplishments; motivate and inspire members and stakeholders; provide educational training and networking opportunities; and expose members to trends impacting the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) Value Chain. The 96th national convention and expo was in Indianapolis Nov. 1-4, 2023. Record-Breaking Attendance Attendees traveled from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Total attendance reached 72,954 in 2023, up from 69,596 in 2022. 72% student attendees, including American FFA Degree recipients; career and leadership development event competitors; delegates; members; band, chorus and talent participants; national officer candidates, award finalists; and more. 28% adult attendees, including special guests; alumni and supporters; FFA staff; individual donors; corporate partners; advisors; state staff; exhibitors; media; award judges; honorary award winners; board members; and more. Entertainment Ninety-five [...]
National FFA Organization’s Response to COVID-19
The new coronavirus (COVID-19) became a worldwide pandemic in early 2020, prompting businesses and organizations to close throughout the United States. Perhaps two of the most impacted groups by the closings and limits on social gatherings were teachers and students. When schools closed, many faced the challenge of transitioning to e-learning to finish the school year. Canceled conferences and events also impacted participants. National FFA took the following actions to ensure that the FFA mission was still being delivered to members and teachers in the wake of COVID-19: Educator Resources National FFA recognized the potential difficulty of moving all learning online in a short time. To help ease the burden on agriculture educators, FFA took actions ranging from providing the 2017 National FFA Student Handbook online for free to creating a guide on distance learning. Analytics1 revealed that the 2017 Official FFA Student Handbook (English) was one of the top 10 accessed educator resources in both March and April, along with supervised agricultural experience (SAE) videos, the generic activity worksheet for SAE videos, and SAE choice [...]
