The familiar blue jackets will descend upon the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis for the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo, which kicks off Wednesday.
More than 70,000 students, teachers, sponsors and more are expected for the four-day event, which is anticipated to generate nearly $40 million in economic impact, according to Visit Indy.
The convention follows record membership for the organization, which touts just under 946,000 participants across more than 9,100 chapters, an 11% year-over-year increase.
Speaking on this week’s Business & Beyond podcast with Gerry Dick, National FFA President Molly Ball said the convention takes over downtown Indy and beyond.
“Our footprint is huge, and then we have programs for students that they can sign up for like days of service,” said Ball. “So, they’ll go into local nonprofits and serve in those local nonprofits all over the city to give back in a way and [it] also launches their own thoughts on a service project.”
The students will also have the opportunity to visit companies in different communities, such as Beck’s Hybrids, Corteva Agriscience, and Fair Oaks Farms to learn more about career opportunities in the science and business of agriculture.
Last year’s convention saw 69,600 people in attendance, which outpaced pre-pandemic numbers from 2019. Ball said they expect to surpass the 70,000 figure this year, a reflection of the increase in membership.
“What teachers are doing is we have an opportunity, what we call affiliate memberships, so all students in their classroom can be part of FFA if they pay one flat fee,” Ball said. “That’s what more and more states are doing is we want all students in agricultural education to be part of FFA. So they’re enrolling more and more students as they become bigger and bigger in the classrooms. So that’s where we’re seeing the spike in students.”
The event has taken place in Indianapolis annually since 2006, with the exception of a three-year stint in Louisville from 2013-2015, and in 2020, when it was called off due to the pandemic.
The National FFA Convention is slated to stay in Indianapolis through at least 2033.
Information for this story came from Inside Indiana Business.