Each year the members of Post 2920 attend competitions to test their knowledge and skills in the field of law enforcement.  State and national conferences are held on alternating years.  The conferences are sponsored by the Boy Scouts as well as state, federal and local law enforcement agencies.

The conference competition includes scenarios relating to real-life situations that police officers might have to respond to.  Each scenario consists of several adult role-players acting out a situation or conflict.  The Explorers are briefed prior to the scenario.  During the scenario, the Explorers are expected to perform the necessary actions to resolve the situation, just as if each was a police officer.  Each scenario is overseen by judges who rate the team as a whole on their performance.

The conferences also include a variety of seminars that the Explorers can attend.  Some examples of these seminars include Cybercrimes, Fugitive Investigations and Hate Crimes.

At the conclusion of each conference, an awards ceremony is held to honor all of the Explorers. Trophies are awarded to the top 4 or 5 teams in each category.

At the 2009 Illinois State Conference, the Explorers of Vernon Hills Post 2920 walked away with the following awards: