NLC Orientation Meeting Slides (April 23, 2026)
NLC Orientation Zoom Meeting Recording (April 23, 2026) — Passcode: 2gKBRDI^
San Antonio, Texas — June 29-July 02 (doesn’t include travel to or from)
Venue: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
Hotel Assignments: Menger Hotel / Hilton Palacio del Rio
Because there is no certainty where a chapter/group may be placed, for budgeting purposes the rates for the Hilton Palacio del Rio (which is the higher rates of the two hotels) should be used. If the chapter/group is placed at The Menger Hotel (which is the cheaper rates of the two hotels), excess fees will be refunded.
1. TENTATIVE conference schedule
2. TENTATIVE high school competitive events schedule
3. TENTATIVE middle school competitive events schedule
The schedules listed above are subject to change and should not be considered final for travel purposes. Final schedules will be announced in mid to late May after National FBLA reviews the number of competitors in each event.
National FBLA Registration Guide: download this document for chapter use; parent use; and guest use. Lots of information is included in this document.
URGENT — URGENT — URGENT — URGENT
Advisers, if your competitor(s) is not attending, it is your responsibility to e-mail the following individuals AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so that the next eligible competitor can be offered the position. We are on a very tight timeline.
High School Competitor Drops: Bruce Boncal, PA FBLA Executive Director, bboncal@pafbla.us, 570.279.6998
Middle School Competitor Drops: Michele Sites, PA FBLA Middle School Coordinator, msites@pafbla.us
FOR SUPPORT/QUESTIONS:
Questions regarding the travel package: Janet Skiles, PA FBLA Conference Coordinator, jskiles@pafbla.us, 412.576.2826
Questions/support regarding National FBLA Blue Panda/Pennsylvania FBLA Blue Panda: Bruce Boncal, PA FBLA Executive Director, bboncal@pafbla.us, 570.279.6998
PA FBLA National Leadership Conference Travel Package with Pricing (updated 04.21.26, 11:11 am)
(click the link to download a copy of the package plans/Dropbox account is not necessary/at bottom, click “continue with download only”)
Important Fee Information:
- National FBLA registration fees are not included in travel package pricing; registration fees are paid to National FBLA. Fees: $195 per FBLA member; $125 per adult/guest.
- Pennsylvania FBLA lodging/travel fees are included in travel package pricing; prices are “per person” — not per room — based on single, double, triple, or quad occupancy.
- Pennsylvania FBLA travelers must stay a minimum of two nights in a Pennsylvania FBLA assigned hotel: The Menger Hotel or the Hilton Palacio del Rio.
- Plan A — comprehensive package (excluding airfare); arrival June 27 — depart July 03.
- Plan B — lodging package (excluding airfare) with a la care items available for purchase; arrival June 28 — depart July 03.
- Plan C — basic plan (excluding airfare); traveler has flexibility to choose arrival and departure dates with no extras.
- All travelers are responsible for making their own airfare reservations.
Click this link for a school/parent to request an invoice to pay by credit card (3.5% convenience fee applies)
ALL lodging reservations are required to be made through Pennsylvania FBLA.
All PA FBLA payments are mailed to: All National FBLA payments are mailed to:
PA FBLA FBLA, Inc.
PO Box 5085 PO Box 79063
Jersey Shore, PA 17740 Baltimore, MD 21279
PA FBLA W-9 National FBLA W-9
Advisers/Parents/Chaperones, please complete this Summer Mailing Address Contact Form for items that need to be mailed prior to the NLC.
- $200 per traveler deposits paid to Pennsylvania FBLA are not refundable.
- All lodging reservations are made through Pennsylvania FBLA at our assigned hotels; do not attempt to make your own reservations.
- Any attempt to check out early by any traveler/traveler group in San Antonio based on the scheduled departure date will not be eligible for and will not receive any refunds. Pennsylvania FBLA has prepaid for your lodging reservations.
- Housing reservations will not be made without a $200 per traveler deposit; final lodging assignments will not be made until the full amount is received by Pennsylvania FBLA by the May 13, 2026, deadline. Pennsylvania FBLA will not submit lodging reservations to the NLC Housing Bureau without full payment. Full payment is due May 13; we must submit final lodging lists to the National FBLA Housing Bureau on May 16.
- Every individual (regardless of age) staying in a Pennsylvania FBLA room at The Menger Hotel or the Hilton Palacio del Rio MUST be listed in Pennsylvania FBLA’s Blue Panda lodging reservation system and is responsible for the $45 per person handling fee (no exceptions). DO NOT simply bring someone to share a room without Pennsylvania FBLA’s knowledge; only those listed on your chapter’s lodging will be placed in a room.
National FBLA Registration Refund/Cancellation Policy
- Cancellations Before May 12: Cancellations will be limited to 100% of the conference fee per attendee, less a $25 administrative fee.
- Cancellations After May 12: Refunds are limited to 50% of the registration fee per person, minus a $25 administrative fee.
- Cancellations after June 22: No refunds.
- National FBLA Policy: All refund requests for extenuating circumstances must go through the PA FBLA State Leader, Bruce Boncal, bboncal@pafbla.us, who will forward your request to National FBLA. Extenuating circumstances require supporting documentation to accompany the request sent to the PA FBLA State Leader.
Critical Dates Timeline
April 30, 2026 — Advisers must have entered all travelers into Pennsylvania FBLA’s Blue Panda / assigned lodging. (responsibility: FBLA advisers)
April 30, 2026 — $200 per traveler deposit must be received by Pennsylvania FBLA. (responsibility: FBLA advisers or parents/guests)
May 12, 2026, by 5:00 pm (late fees apply for any registrations after this date) — Advisers MUST have registered all FBLA members; FBLA advisers or chaperones; and other guests in National FBLA’s Blue Panda / students must be placed in their competitive event in National FBLA’ s Blue Panda. (responsibility: FBLA advisers)
May 12, 2026, by 5:00 pm: Upload deadline into National FBLA’s Blue Panda for the following middle school pre-judged assets: (1) Exploring Digital Animation and (2) Exploring Digital Video Production. (responsibility: FBLA advisers)
May 12, 2026, by 5:00 pm: Upload deadline into National FBLA’s Blue Panda for the following high school pre-judged assets: (1) Business Plan, (2) Community Service Project, (3) Digital Animation, (4) Digital Video Production, (5) Future Business Leader (resume/letter), (6) Job Interview (resume/letter), (7) Local Chapter Annual Business Report. (responsibility: FBLA advisers)
May 13, 2026 — Final FULL payment must be received by Pennsylvania FBLA for all travelers.(responsibility: FBLA advisers or parents/guests)
June 12, 2026 — Final FULL registration payment must be received by National FBLA for all registered participants. (responsibility: FBLA advisers or parents/guests)
- If paying by check to National FBLA, you MUST include both the check and the invoice.
- Checks must be received no later than June 12; otherwise, a $50 late fee will be assessed.
- Payment methods: check, credit card, school purchase order (if a PO is used, full payment must be received by June 12 to avoid late fees).
- Check with Bruce Boncal, PA FBLA Executive Director, if you wish to make your National FBLA registration payments by check to Pennsylvania FBLA. Pennsylvania FBLA will then serve as a passthrough to make the payment to National FBLA on your behalf. Could be a wise and more effective option if parents (especially if there are multiple parents) are responsible for payment and not the school. Contact: Bruce Boncal, bboncal@pafbla.us, 570.279.6998.
National FBLA Late Fee Schedule:
- May 13-June 02 (for those not registered): $195 registration fee + $50 registration late fee + $50 competitive event change = $295 due immediately
- June 03-June 22 (for those not registered): $195 registration fee + $150 registration late fee + $150 competitive event change = $495 due immediately
- June 23-June 27 (for those not registered): $195 registration fee + $350 registration late fee + $350 competitive event change = $895 due immediately
- After June 27 (for those not registered): $195 registration fee + $500 registration late fee + $500 competitive event change = $1,195 due immediately
Stay tuned for an invitation for adviser, parents, FBLA members, and guests for an NLC Zoom
2026 National Leadership Conference Orientation PowerPoint, coming Thursday, April 23, 2026
2026 National Leadership Conference Zoom Recording, coming Thursday, April 23, April 23, 2026
>>>Passcode: TBD
Who’s eligible to attend?
Follow these guidelines regarding eligibility to compete and attend the 2026 National Leadership Conference:
- The Top 4 high school award winners automatically qualify to compete in the official high school competitive events
- The Top 4 middle school award winners automatically qualify to complete in the official middle school competitive events
- If a chapter’s Top 4 qualifier is not eligible to participate, chapter advisers need to contact the following:
-
- high school competitive events: Bruce Boncal, PA FBLA Executive Director, bboncal@pafbla.us
- middle school competitive events: Michele Sites, PA FBLA Middle School Coordinator, msites@pafbla.us
- Offers to participate will be made to the 5th- through the 10th place winners should any in the Top 4 not be able to participate.
- For questions regarding high school scores and judging ratings from the State Leadership Conference and Middle School program scores and judging, contact:
-
- Derek Selleck, PA FBLA Competitive Events Coordinator, dselleck@pafbla.us (high school program)
- Michele Sites, PA FBLA Middle School Coordinator, msites@pafbla.us (middle school program)
Family members are welcome to attend the NLC and travel as part of the PA FBLA package. If an adviser cannot attend the conference, a parent may serve as the student member’s chaperone.
FAQs (answers to your likely questions):
- If my student is on a team of 1-3 students that placed at the state conference and one or more drop out, can my single student complete? Answer: yes, your single student may compete as the event can be 1-3 students (or 4-5 students in the case of Parliamentary Procedure).
- Are the competitive events guidelines the same for the national conference as the state conference? Answer: no, you should be referring to the National FBLA guidelines for the national conference. Although the guidelines might be similar, there are definitely some differences. Click here for the high school competitive guidelines and/or the middle school competitive events guidelines.
- Are the production tests administered at my home schools as they have been in prior years? Answer, no. Computer Applications, Exploring Computer Applications (middle school), Spreadsheet Applications, and Word Processing will be administered onsite in San Antonio this year. Nothing will be administered at the home school.
- May I make changes to the items I submit for NLC pre-judging that were submitted at the national conference? Answer, yes. Competitors are strongly advised to review the SLC judges’ scoring sheets and feedback and make improvements, if appropriate. The deadline for submission is May 13.
- Do advisers need to inform the state office if my competitor will not attend? Answer, yes. Please contact Bruce Boncal, PA FBLA Executive Director, bboncal@pafbla.us, for high school students not able to attend OR Michele Sites, PA FBLA Middle School Coordinator, msites@pafbla.us, for middle school students not able to attend. Please notify us as soon as possible so that offers can be made to the next eligible competitor.
- Am I able to see my objective test scores and rating sheets for my events from the region conference and the state conference? Answer, yes. Advisers only must sign on to Blue Panda to download the scores and rating sheets.
- Can substitutions be made if a student cannot participate at the national conference? Answer, no. If a student did not compete at the state level and qualify for the state conference, he/she may not be substituted to participate at the national conference.
- Can an adviser/chaperone from one school serve as a chaperone for a student from another school? Answer, yes. Written agreements should be made between the school administrations of both schools. Because a school’s adviser must enter an adviser/chaperone name for his/her school and another school’s adviser/chaperone is taking responsibility for his/her students, the adviser will need to email nlc@fbla.org to make sure the chaperone is assigned to both chapters (only one registration fee will be charged).
- Can I submit accommodations for a student for his/her competitive event based on his/her IEP/504 or medical issues? Answer, yes. Requests for accommodations are made through the National FBLA Blue Panda Special Needs Provision for an individual attendee. All accommodations must be submitted by the May 12, 2026, registration deadline.
- Do students need to bring their own laptops/tablets to complete their objective tests in San Antonio? Answer, yes. Students are to bring their own electronic devices. Phones are not compatible with the testing systems. Windows devices, Apple devices, Chromebooks — all are acceptable. However, if the device is a school-issued device, the adviser and competitor should work with the school system’s technology staff to make sure security policies do not impede the ability to connect to WiFi outside the school system or access to Blue Panda.
REAL ID Requirements
Air travelers 18 years of age and older must be REAL ID compliant starting May 7, 2025, to board domestic flights. From the Department of Homeland Security page on REAL ID: “Travelers who do not present a REAL ID-compliant license or acceptable alternative beginning May 7, 2025″ will not be permitted through the security checkpoint.” “TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling with a companion within the United States. The companion will need acceptable identification.” Refer to the Department of Homeland Security page on READ ID FAQs for additional information. A passport is an acceptable alternative to a REAL ID license. More information on alternatives published by DHS can be found here.