If you work in campus activities, you know that Valentine's Day means more than flowers and chocolate – it means NACA Live! This year's national campus activities conference landed in Columbus, OH, and the Degy team was there in full force. For those new to the space, NACA Live is the nation's largest campus activities marketplace, bringing together college programming boards, student activities directors, talent agencies, and entertainers for four days of showcases, educational sessions, and live entertainment booking.
Jeff, Sean, and Sophie kicked off Day 1 by getting our booth set up alongside several of our Ohio-based artists: Michael Kent, NatterDoodle, and Plenty O'Cookies. All three acts ran interactive booth experiences throughout the entire conference – an increasingly popular model at campus activities conferences, where engagement beyond the main stage showcase can be just as important for helping student programmers envision an act at their school. Michael Kent delivered close-up magic that drew consistent crowds, NatterDoodle led hands-on craft workshops (think painting dorm room signs and making activism magnets), and Plenty O'Cookies had students frosting mini mirrors and crafting conversation heart-themed faux cookies. Every day brought fresh activities – and yes, a certain agent may have traced a Valentine herself.
On Day 2, Jeff and Sean led an educational session focused on planning major campus events – breaking down the full process from concept to execution, including the challenges that come with booking and hosting national talent. The room was so packed that students were sitting on the floor, which tells you everything about the appetite student activities professionals have for practical, real-world programming education. The conversation was honest and rich, with programming boards sharing the obstacles they face when producing large-scale campus events and brainstorming solutions together.
The main stage showcases were a highlight of the weekend. Comedian Gibran Saleem had the room laughing from start to finish, and the immediate rush to his booth in the campus activities marketplace right after proved what agents and programmers both know well: a strong showcase translates directly into bookings. Dance party act Throwback Time Machine brought the high energy that college event programming thrives on, taking students through decades of hits – and yes, there may have been a brief mannequin challenge moment to really lock in that 2016 nostalgia.
From in-booth craft experiences to packed educational sessions to main stage showcases, NACA Live 2026 was a reminder of why this conference remains the cornerstone of collegiate entertainment booking every spring. We can't wait to see these campus events come to life on college campuses across the country in the semesters ahead.
What do you call a conference venue that smells like chocolate and brings together the best of the college entertainment industry for three days of programming? That's APCA Hershey, and it never disappoints. APCA – the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities – is one of the two major national organizations driving the campus activities marketplace, alongside NACA, and their national conference in Hershey, PA is a standout event every year.
Sophie and Jeff arrived early enough to set up the night before the conference began, which gave us a chance to attend the advisor reception and reconnect with colleagues from across the country – from the Northeast to Indiana, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Texas. That's one of the things that makes APCA's national conference so valuable for campus entertainment professionals: the community it fosters across regions, built on years of shared work and a genuine love for what campus programming can do for students.
We hit the ground running on Day 1 with an educational session Jeff led on venue selection for campus performers – a practical, experience-driven conversation about how to match the right space to the right act and what student activities boards should be looking for when they see talent perform at the conference. We had a great mix of first-timers and veterans in the room, which made for an especially dynamic discussion.
The Day 1 showcases set a high bar. Michael Kent opened with his comedy magic show – yes, chickens apparently steal your twenties, and yes, the audience loved every second of it. Interactive storytelling act Campfireball created something genuinely special on stage, building community through shared (and totally voluntary) stories in a way that had students immediately imagining it on their own campuses. Freestyle comedy trio Free Daps closed out the evening showcase with high-energy improv that had the room loose and excited.
Day 2 started early with Sophie running an educational session while we also prepped for Chibbi's morning showcase. Chibbi, a spoken word artist and one of the most compelling performers working the college market today, not only delivered a powerful set – he also took home the 2026 APCA Spoken Word Artist of the Year award. That's two years in a row. His work continues to resonate deeply with college audiences, and watching student programmers respond to his performance in real time is always a reminder of why live, campus-relevant entertainment matters so much. Mentalist Eric Dittelman drew one of the best crowd moments of the conference – getting a student volunteer to tape his eyes shut before reading the minds of attendees one by one – while comedian Kate Sisk had the room in stitches with her sharp material. Both Eric and Kate drew long lines at their booths after their sets, which is exactly what you hope to see.
Saturday brought a co-op buying meeting – one of the best tools in campus entertainment booking, allowing multiple schools to route dates together and stretch their programming budgets further. Even without showcases that day, the booth traffic and educational sessions kept things moving right up until the closing awards dinner.
And what a dinner it was. When the awards were announced, Degy artists swept two major categories: Roller Rave took home DJ/Dance Party of the Year, and Chibbi won Spoken Word Artist of the Year for the second consecutive year. Then came the moment none of us saw coming. The Bill Fry Agency of the Year Award – named for a beloved figure in the college entertainment industry – was called. And it went to Degy Entertainment.
The Bill Fry Award carries real weight in this industry because of who Bill Fry was: a performer, an agent, a business owner, and an extraordinary human being. Being recognized with an award bearing his name is something we don't take lightly. To every artist on our roster, every member of the Degy team, and every campus partner who has trusted us with your campus programming – this one's for you. We don't do this work for awards. But being seen and recognized for doing what we love, and doing it as well as we possibly can, is a feeling that's hard to put into words.
Whether you're a student activities professional, a campus programming board member, an advisor, or an artist looking to break into the college market, NACA Live and APCA Nationals represent the most concentrated and productive weeks of the year for collegiate entertainment. The connections made in Columbus and Hershey this February and March will translate into campus events, artist bookings, and student experiences across hundreds of colleges and universities in the semesters ahead.
If your programming board is looking to book live entertainment for your campus – from comedians and mentalists to interactive performers and spoken word artists – we'd love to connect. The Degy team specializes in matching the right talent to the right campus, and conferences like NACA Live and APCA are where that work begins.
Here's to another incredible season of campus programming. We'll see you out there.
NACA Live is the nation's largest campus activities conference and marketplace, bringing together student programming boards, activities directors, and entertainment agents. It's crucial for college entertainment booking because student programmers discover new talent through live showcases, attend educational sessions on event planning, and book entertainment directly with agents in a concentrated four-day period.
APCA (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) is one of two major national campus activities organizations alongside NACA. While both serve college programming professionals, APCA is known for its strong regional structure, intimate national conference atmosphere in Hershey, PA, and emphasis on building long-term relationships between campus programmers and entertainment professionals.
NACA Live typically occurs in mid-February (Valentine's Day weekend) and rotates between major cities (2026: Columbus, OH). APCA Nationals is held annually in Hershey, PA in late February/early March. Both conferences mark the peak college entertainment booking season for spring and fall programming.
Co-op buying allows multiple colleges to coordinate booking the same artist for nearby dates, creating an efficient tour route. This reduces artist travel costs and fees, stretches programming budgets further, brings bigger names to smaller schools, and creates opportunities for schools to share resources and experiences. It's a powerful tool taught at NACA and APCA conferences.
Student activities boards attend conference showcases to discover new entertainment, see acts perform live before booking, compare multiple performers in short timeframes, meet artists and agents directly after performances, and make booking decisions based on real-time student audience reactions. Strong showcase performances translate directly into campus bookings.
The Bill Fry Agency of the Year Award is APCA's highest honor for entertainment agencies, named after beloved industry figure Bill Fry. It recognizes agencies demonstrating excellence in campus entertainment booking, artist development, student programmer support, and contributions to the collegiate entertainment industry. Degy Entertainment won this award in 2026.
Popular college entertainment at NACA and APCA includes comedians (clean, relatable stand-up), interactive performers (magic, mentalism, improv), dance party experiences (DJs, decade themes like Throwback Time Machine), spoken word artists, variety acts and unique performers, and creative engagement acts offering hands-on experiences. Trending acts often have social media presence.
Campus programming boards typically book entertainment 3-6 months after conference attendance. February/March conferences lead to fall semester bookings (August-December) and following spring bookings (January-May). Some high-demand acts or major campus events may be booked 6-12 months in advance based on conference connections.
Both NACA and APCA conferences welcome student activities professionals at all levels including student programming board members, campus advisors and full-time staff, student activities directors, student union professionals, and entertainment agents and performers. The mix of students and professionals creates valuable mentorship and learning opportunities.
Conference educational sessions cover campus event planning and execution, budget management and co-op buying strategies, venue selection for different act types, marketing and promoting campus entertainment, working with artist contracts and riders, accessibility and inclusive programming, crisis management and event safety, and navigating student activities leadership transitions.
Entertainment agencies like Degy participate by booking booth space in the campus activities marketplace, securing showcase slots for roster artists, presenting educational sessions for student programmers, sponsoring conference events and activities, and attending networking receptions with campus professionals. Agency participation requires NACA or APCA membership and conference registration.
Degy Entertainment's success at NACA and APCA stems from award-winning roster artists (2026: Bill Fry Agency Award, Chibbi 2-time Spoken Word Artist, Roller Rave DJ/Dance Party of Year), interactive booth experiences engaging student programmers, comprehensive educational session programming, genuine relationships with campus activities professionals, and deep understanding of college programming needs and student audiences.