INDIANAPOLIS – Nearly 70,000 people attended last year’s National FFA Convention & Expo, and organizers expect similar numbers for this year’s event. The 96th convention is Nov. 1-4 in Indianapolis.

“(The convention) is a wonderful time for our members to network with one another, celebrate others accomplishments and understand the full impact of FFA and agricultural education,” explained Kristy Meyer, FFA communications manager. “Our members are the next generation of leaders, and during this event, we get to experience this firsthand.”

Attendance in 2022 was 69,596. Meyer told Farm World they’re on track to meet those numbers for this year’s convention.

“This year, we are celebrating 75 years of our National FFA Chorus as well as our National FFA Talent,” she said. “We will have our normal keynote speakers during our opening session as well as our general session on Friday. During our general sessions, we will recognize our high achieving students and reward them for their hard work – whether it be through their proficiencies, career and leadership development events, chapter engagement or even agriscience.”

Four companies – Corteva Agriscience, New Holland, AGCO and Ford – have each been corporate sponsors for 75 years and will have anniversary displays outside the expo, she said.

The Student Showcase Stage, new last year, will return in 2023. The stage allows members to share peer to peer what projects they have done, Meyer noted.

National Days of Service are planned for Nov. 2-3.

“Our members are leaders in their communities, which means they often give back to their communities in different ways, using different talents,” Meyer said. “When they come to Indianapolis, they also have the opportunity to give back to our host city.”

This year, about 2,640 delegates and students will serve at 21 Indianapolis-area non-profits, including Hamilton County Parks, Midwest Food Bank and People for Urban Progress, she said.

FFA members will also have the opportunity to participate in an on-site service project – making sensory bottles, Meyer noted. “(The bottles are) a helpful way for individuals of all ages to relax during times of anxiety or overstimulation,” she said. “The sensory bottles will be given to individuals with developmental and behavioral challenges.”

In previous years, FFA members constructed Little Free Pantries and made travel book pillows.

Convention attendees may also participate in career success tours, which offer members a chance to explore some of the more than 350 careers in agriculture, Meyer said. Some of the participating companies are ADM Grain Co., Beck’s, Evans Whispering Pines Christmas Tree Farm and Teter Organic Farm.

The Expo “will have many companies that can help share with them the many careers available in the agriculture industry, and colleges and universities will be present as well,” Meyer said.

Student and FFA adviser workshops will also be available, she pointed out. Topics for the student workshops include finding friends in agriculture, getting where you want to go, know your worth and leadership is influence.

For advisers, workshop topics include chapter management, middle school resources, motivating students and showing the value of your agriculture program.

Lainey Wilson’s concert on Nov. 1, and evening shows for the World’s Toughest Rodeo, are sold out. Tickets for the rodeo’s Nov. 3 matinee performance were still available at press time.

The convention’s venues are Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Convention Center and the Indiana State Fairgrounds. For more information, including a convention schedule, visit convention.ffa.org.

FFA has nearly 946,000 student members from 9,163 local chapters in every state, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.