2016 Session 1

This is Session 1 of the 2016 (89th) National FFA Convention & Expo. After an opening video on the convention theme of transformation and the introduction of the 2015-2016 national officer team, the session was called to order and chaired by national FFA President Taylor McNeil, who led the delegates through an evolution-of-dance activity. The program featured reflections from past national president Andy Paul, performances by the national FFA band, chorus, and organist, a tribute honoring the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Hughes Act with a gavel presentation from Georgia, and a "start your engines" address by national FFA advisor Dr. Steve Brown. The session concluded with a keynote from long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who recounted her decades-long quest to swim from Cuba to Florida and her message to never give up.