Opening Ceremonies?
 

Is there a reason they are this late in the day? If they were sooner and had Quals till 7:30 it would allow our students to get food at the arena before it was over. The way it is now, we get out and it is starting to get dark which causes a safety issue for letting our 50+ kids go out and get dinner in an American City which ranks consistently in the top 5 most dangerous cities in the US.

Yes I know I can tell them to get food before 6, but many say it is too early and don't. And no, letting them starve is not an option. With conversations I have had with other Mentors I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this over the years.

Seriously why can't Opening Ceremonies be at the opening?!?

Re: Opening Ceremonies?
 

Remember, Opening Ceremonies on Thursday were not just for FRC. They were for ALL of the FIRST programs - Jr.FLL, FLL, FTC, and FRC. All of those programs' schedules had to be considered.

Re: Opening Ceremonies?
 

The logistics of moving that many people to the exits after the event was ridiculous as well. I personally was with my team at the 400 level (nosebleeds) and it was impossible to move as a team through the crowds. Escalators were blocked because they were so congested at lower levels and people were ignoring fences meant to funnel traffic into the concourses to be dispersed before rejoining the escalators to the next level. It seemed like everyone wanted to get down to the lowest possible level before going around to their intended exit, like 10,000 people heading to gate A.

If it were in the morning I would imagine some of this would have been relieved by some of the traffic dispersing to their respective fields, around the concourse or down to the pits via multiple paths.