Career Expo 2026 �Counselor Training Meeting�August 27, 2026

Agenda

1. Welcome & Perspective on Career Expo (Letia)
2. Logistics (Andrea)
3. Transportation Essentials (Andrea)
4. Event Essentials (Andrea)
5. Best Practices
6. Expo Overview/Wrap-up (Andrea)
7. Summary/Closing (Letia)

Career Expo Clip 2026

Career Expo Event Clips

ACEC Career Expo Website

ACEC Career Expo Website

8th Grade Career Expo - Adams County Education Consortium

• This link (ABOVE) to the Career Expo webpage has all materials you will need:
• Career Expo School Logistics Checklist (MAIN DOC WITH ALL LOGISTICS ALSO HAS LINKS TO MATERIALS)
• Counselor Training Slides
• Career Expo schedule
• Educator Materials- lesson prep
• Student Business card BLANK card template for new students
• Student Pre-survey link (HAVE STUDENTS FILL OUT BEFORE EXPO)
• Passports (English and Spanish – only English passports will be sent to your school. You will need to print Spanish passports)
• Career Cluster Model
• Expo Map & Expo Transportation Map
• List of Registered booths
• Student Post Survey link (HAVE STUDENTS FILL OUT AS SOON AS THEY GET BACK TO SCHOOL OR NEXT DAY)
• Counselor Post Survey
• Career Expo Prep video

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Career Expo Prep Materials

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Student Business Card Spreadsheet

List of names/headcount due August 21

TOP 5 Students

• Students who display professional behaviors and preparedness are recognized by exhibitors.
• Students have 5 business cards they will hand out to 5 different exhibitors. At the end each day of the Expo each exhibitor will select 5 students they felt made the best impression/was the most prepared (introduced themselves, dressed neatly, researched industry/profession, asked good questions)
• The student who receives the most nominations is recognized in a ceremony with our County Commissioners and receives a prize package
• All students who receive 1 or more nominations will receive a certificate
• Depending on the number of prizes donated by businesses, students with multiple nominations may receive prizes

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Passport

Wave Transition

• 4 min. transition between Spaces A and B and B and C
• 20 min. transition from Space C to bus

Arrival & Departure Logistics

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There are 4 logistical components of the Career Expo experience:�

• ARRIVAL
• EXPO NETWORKING
• MEET UP
• BOARDING

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Our goal is for you to arrive and depart in 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Arrival & Departure Logistics

Primary Objective:

Safely and efficiently bring Career Expo participants to, through, and

out of Riverdale Regional Park

Departure planning centers around:

• Bus Movement
• Student Movement

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Departure process:

Space C (Exhibit Hall) is the last space to explore and all schools in Space C will move to buses

Arrival & Departure Logistics

ARRIVAL: Please be on-time or five minutes early. Your�assigned time is your start time. Students have 70 minutes in the Expo.

• You will get signs for your school upon arrival. You’ll use these signs to organize students in the departure area.

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MATERIALS: Hand out materials before the bus stops at the venue. Handing out materials when the bus arrives (if you arrive at start time) delays your start and can cut your time in Space A short. SCHOOLS IN EACH WAVE MOVE TOGETHER REGARDLESS OF ARRIVAL TIME.

• Pens and plastic bags will be available as they enter Space A�

EXPO NETWORKING: Keep your students engaged with professionals! Announcements will be made when it is time to move to next space. Your school goes into MEET UP mode when time is up in Space C.

Arrival & Departure Logistics

MEET UP OUTSIDE: When time in Space C is over, all students will be ushered of Space C. It’s helpful to organize OUTSIDE the building so we can get ready for next group.

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All school staff should be in Space C so your students can find you once it is MEET UP time.

• Schools should have some staff outside (with signage) to meet students and some staff inside (with signage) to usher students outside

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You’ll have 20 minutes to account for all your students board the buses. The faster you confirm all students are present, the sooner you board your buses.

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Missing Students- A POC at the ACEC booth will have a mic and you can give them the name and school of the missing student. The POC will make announcement in Space C. Venue does NOT have a connected intercom system through all three spaces. School staff should also search all event spaces for the student.

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Arrival & Departure Logistics

DEPARTURE : When all students from your school are accounted for, you will walk your students to the buses.

• It might be helpful to have one of your staff members locate your buses before all of your students start walking.
• Transportation volunteers may or may not be available.

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The transportation contacts for each district were given signs for each school and the number of buses each school will have Ex. Vikan 1, Vikan 2 etc. To put on their buses. School staff can stand in front of their bus as well.�

Educator Expectations

• Educators will move with their students from space to space
• Pass through restrooms to move students along
• ACEC Booth in Space A and C will have band aids
• No official first aid on site

• Junior Achievement pre and post resources
• Creating an Environment for Instructor buy-in and Admin support
• Career Expo Preparation Essentials (Getting time to work with students)
• Pre and Post Student Survey for ACEC
• Career Cluster Inventory (various methods)
• Career Cluster Colors and Groupings
• Interviewing Part 1 (Role playing: Shaking Hands, Body Language, etc)
• Interviewing Part 2 (Introductions, Brainstorming Questions to Ask, Closing, etc)
• Dressing for the Expo (What does "professional" look like?)
• Use of Passports at the Expo
• Thank You Letters/Cards
• Curriculum Tie-In
• Lesson Ideas (based on the number of days you have to prepare students)

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Best Practices

• Park across the venue for picnic lunch (purple x on image)
• Each school reserves and pays for their buses with their district transportation department
• Quiet spaces:
• Space A (Waymire Dome) – outside space by the exit on way to Space B. Grassy area on the southeast side of Space A. (red x on image)
• Space C (Exhibit Hall)- outside the entrance to the left is a sidewalk buffered by cars (red x on image)

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Other Items

www.adamscountyeducation.com

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