National Leadership and Skills Conference
The National Leadership and Skills Conference is held annually in Kansas City, Missouri. Most of the competitions are held at Bartle Hall Convention Center, on the showroom floor. The other competitions are held at Municipal Auditorium, American Royal Center, and the Marriott (including the historic Muehlebach Tower), Radisson and Phillips hotels, located downtown. SkillsUSA members, delegates and advisors stay in 23 separate hotels in the Kansas City area. The week-long conference entails the competitions, TECHSPO (the nation's largest trade show in trade and industrial education), a career fair, and SkillsUSA student government sessions.
As of 2015, the NLSC will be held in Louisville, Kentucky for six years. The new location was decided by a competitive bid among 25 other cities which included Orlando, Houston, and Atlanta. The future attendance projections along with the contract with Kansas City set to expire in 2015 prompted the relocation. Louisville also has historical significance as it served as the home of SkillsUSA (called VICA at the time) from 1982 to 1984 and from 1991 to 1993. The SkillsUSA Championships is expected to bring in $12 million to Louisville's economy.
Students from the various state associations socialize and learn from one another during the week. Each state association has collectible pins that are often traded between students from various state associations. These pins are normally worn on the official SkillsUSA blazer.
There are recreational activities scheduled during the conference week, including a SkillsUSA night at Worlds of Fun. Other activities include the Kansas City Zoo, Oceans of Fun and the Kansas City Speedway racetrack tour.
The week culminates in the awards presentation. At the awards ceremony, the NLSC also plays host to a keynote speaker. There have been a number of noteworthy speakers. Some of them include:
- Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
- Lou Holtz, former football coach, currently a college football analyst for ESPN.
- Chuck Yeager, retired Air Force general, one of three persons believed to be the first to break the sound barrier.
- Janet Evans, record-breaking American competitive swimmer.
- Mary Lou Retton, medaling American Olympic gymnast.
- Dick Vitale, former college and professional basketball coach, currently and most known for sports commentator.
- Terry Bradshaw, former professional football quarterback.
- Dan Jansen, a former speed skater, best known for winning a gold medal in his final Olympic race.
- James Lovell, a retired Navy captain, best known as the commander of Apollo 13.
- Joe Engle, a retired Air Force colonel, most notable as a distinguished NASA astronaut.
- Terry Bowden, a college football analyst/commentator, motivational speaker and former college football coach.
- Wendy Venturini, a reporter for SPEED's pre-race show, NASCAR RaceDay.
- Stephen Paletta, philanthropist and winner of Oprah's Big Give.
- Mike Holmes, host and creator of Holmes on Homes, which airs on HGTV in the United States, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Germany.
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