Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I hate to disagree about Houston, but do you really want to lug your robot up all those ramps, through a crowd, and across the Reliant floor? It was hard enough for me to get myself in--and I was a volunteer and found a way in that few used in the morning! 15 minute walk without a robot? Ugh. They need a robot only route that climbs fewer ramps if they return to Houston.
Atlanta? See you there.
New Orleans? Never been there, so I don't know.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I say, if ATL is large enough and makes people happy enough lets just keep it there.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

You can't mean the Coral Sea... can you?

Wetzel

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Actually, those are the coordinates through a new S-GPS (Super Global Positioning System) that the Rolls-Royce 'skunk works' has been working on with NASA. The encoders are turbine powered, that's why RR is involved.

I am really surprised that Dave posted this information, I thought it was still a classified project.


And, by the way, those must be the coordinates for Indianapolis.
I remember that 067.15-07.8440 150.12-11.9540 are the coordinates for the Rolls-Royce plant, which is on the west side of downtown.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Why do I get the feeling that, any minute now, government helicopters are going to descend on everyone who read that post, and sweep them off to never be heard from again...or maybe not...this could be a hoax. Oh well, come'n get me! :D

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

If you don't mind me asking...

How do you know about it if it's a classified project? And would anyone have known what the numbers meant if you hadn't made your post?

If Dave's getting in trouble for this one, it seems like you might be too... :ahh:

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

SAn Antonio has the astrodome I think it is called. For the money, the only other city i could see myself going to would be Toronto. A lot of people absolutely love that regional so I wonder if championships there would be amazing.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Fairbanks, Alaska?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Do you work for the government? Is this an interrogation? Do I need to call a lawyer (not that I have one, mind you).

PS - I am program director for small gas turbine engines, and the turbines for these encoders are really, really, really small. Have you seen how tiny an encoder is?

PSS - Should it become necessary, I will deny ever knowing Dave, and immediately change my screen name.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

The folks in Toronto (Karthik are you listening?) really know how to put on a good regional in Mississauga at the Hershey Centre (they do spell things a little differently). But they would have to move to the Skydome (50,000+ seating) downtown for the championship. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is right next door and could be used for pits. Tons of stuff to see and do. Literally hundreds of restaurants within walking distance of the Dome. Nice subway system to get around. How about the wrap party at the Ontario Centennial Science Centre?

The only negative I could even think of would be the cost of getting robots and equipment shipped across the border.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I'll drink to that. We too were very close to the dome, although our hotel had quite a number of FRC and FLL teams staying there.

I like Atlanta for The Championship -- the Georgia Dome/GWCC combination seems to work well and the team social in Olympic Park works out well too. The pits were in an improved area this year; I think they should keep them where they were -- last year was such a pain to walk that far from pits to Dome.

I also liked when The Championships were at EPCOT. I can't speak for Houston since I wasn't there, but the general consensus I get from fellow FIRSTies is that it wasn't a great place for The Championship.

I would like to see a Championship Event on the West Coast or in Canada, actually. It's not fair to the West Coast teams that they have to travel so far every year. I think it should be cycled throughout the country or the world so that a different city plays host every year. Also, don't put it in the same part of the country every year. For example, don't have a Championship in Los Angeles followed by a Championship in San Diego.

As far as where the host city ought to be after FIRST's contract with the City of Atlanta expires in 2007, I haven't really travelled a great deal. I like Boston as a city but I don't think they have a venue big enough (unless they rented out the Fleet Center, but where would they put the pits?). Rumor has it that my company is trying to sponsor a Boston Regional at the Fleet Center next year, anyway.

The same goes for Providence -- I like the city but I don't think there's a big enough venue. I think the Rhode Island Convention Center is big enough for pits, but there isn't really a good place to put the actual competition.

If what Tuba4 said about Toronto is true, then Toronto gets my vote... there 's lots to see and do there, plus there's that park with the big windmills by the water (Ontario Place?) where the team social could be held.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

What are you talking about? I've never been with any team who has had problems like that. And what of the Canadian teams who have to travel here to the US, which to them is a foreign country?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

And people...What are customs like for flying across the border? I know that driving across the border is a fairly simple process..atleast at The Ambassader Bridge in Detroit, MI

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Yeah, that's one bad thing about Atlanta -- the area immediately around the Georgia Dome is okay, but once you get a few blocks out, things starts getting sketchy. You'd have that problem anywhere *but* Disney, though. True, that's something I'd be willing to pay a bit more for, but I've been happy with Atlanta the past two years.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I grew up on Long Island, and while I think Nassau Coliseum would be a great place to have the competition (it's a hockey rink, and plenty of convention center space for the pits), there's not all that much to do in that area, unless you like malls and shopping. It's not practical for teams to walk to hotels around there, and so on. Perhaps hosting the Long Island Regional there would work.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I would like the Championships to remain in one location at least three years. This allows teams to plan ahead and make a proper budget to travel to them. With the current system of tiers to go, most teams will have the ability to go within three years. It also allows some institutional memory about a location so only every couple of years will things be very new, for teams and for FIRST.

Wetzel

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I agree that the D-Backs stadium is nice, but the city is in the process of building a new facility for the Cardinals, it would definitely have enough room for 5 fields, it is supposed to have a sliding roof also. I don't know what would happen with the pits, but that stadium is still few years away. Phoenix would be cool, though.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

So Tytus knew all along!

Anyway, yes, I'm still voting for Phoenix in the Diamondbacks stadium. The pits can be in the large corridors under the seats, np. Or in tents outside. I wonder what they would do for the floor though, being dirt and grass. You'd have to seriously protect it somehow. To cover in wood panels would cost a fortune.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Having been to Atlanta my first time this year I'd say it as an OK venue for nationals. Prior to Atlanta I had only ever been to Disney. Each venue had its pros and cons like everything. One of the cons about Atlanta I think is that the hotels were actually a good distance from the Georgian Dome, certainly within walking distance but around the actual Georgia Dome there isn't much except a park and parking lots. I was initially thinking that Indianapolis sounded good because it is an area with a descent amount of teams. However you could also make the argument isn't it better to have it in Atlanta, a city where there aren't that many teams. In addition a lot of those Atlanta teams might fade away if nationals left, as tends to happen. So I'd say it is a toss up. I do think the West Coast kinda gets a bum situation having to fly all the way across the country. Another pro for Atlanta I thought was the pits they were very nicely laid out and there was plenty of room to walk without bumping into someone/a robot...unlike Epcot. In addition Atlanta provides plenty of room to grow there is no seating problem at the Georgia Dome and there is more than enough room for the pits in the Convention center if they open up more sections for the foreseeable future. Although not a lot to do in Atlanta. So toss up. ;-)

Justin

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Yeah, Atlanta has tons of space for growth. The area down by where the carshow was held. Still was GWCC and it was maybe 1.5 times bigger. maybe even more.

I do agree about the hotel situation. But all of the FIRST guys who never get off of their computers would have a chance to get some exercise walking back to the hotel after a day of competition.

And on the comment about Atlanta FIRST teams participating/fading away if champs left wouldnt be so much of an issue as you think.
The people would still go to regionals but I don't think there are any Georgia teams that could actually afford taking their teams more than 2 or 3 states away for Championships.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Well There is the Cradle of Aviation museum and IMAX theater within' walking distance of the Nassau Coliseum.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

The Astrodome was the pit area in HOUSTON. Is there a stadium that could hold a Championship in San Antonio?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Crap. Yeah I feel like an idiot. It is actually th alamo dome. That would definetly be big nough for Championships. For some odd reason I think they use only half of it for the basketball itself. It seems very od that thy do that but that is what I heard.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

They would be, provided the Canadians got to work their effortless organizational magic on the proceedings. They're like Oompa Loompas, they are. :D

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

IMAX?

That must have been put in after 2000.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Even though I like to leave Indiana when it come to competition, I think Indy is a fore-runner with Atlanta facilities. It's the "Crossroads of America"... :)
Not that I'm pushing it, but it's been mentioned numerous times, so here's a few reasons it would be a good host, for those who are less familiar with the city:

-We know the Dome is more than sufficient. (i haven't been following the news, but aren't they trying to build a new stadium in the future...)
-Check out the convention center layout and maps. They've got halls that can definitely accommodate the pits with ease... though maybe pits would be in 2 halls, that's no big deal.... it leads directly into the stadium floor.
http://www.iccrd.com/conv/diagrams.asp . Can also get to the Dome site from this page.
-They've got several internet options if needed, including wireless. Seems there's wi-fi hotspots all over town too.
-Apparently there are skywalks that connect the convention center to 7 hotels.... now that's cool.
-Says just in the downtown area, there are 5,212 hotel rooms. Hotels are in abundance in and around Indy.
-International airport 15min away. Typically prices are pretty good to/from just about anywhere, and there's plenty of airlines in/out of there.
-Downtown Indy is really safe. While there may be occasional beggers, i've not really seen it very much. It's clean, it's safe, pretty much everything is in walking distance.
-I think there's a decent bus "circulator" that makes the rounds around downtown, cheap too.
-One of the best Children's Museums in the nation (says world's largest!).
-You have the big Circle Center Mall, movie theaters, IMAX, etc.
-Indy Motor Speedway, and Indy Raceway Park
-Tons of restaurants, and within walking distance in downtown.
-Central Canal Walk - really nice area.
-Indiana State Museum
-NCAA Hall of Champions
-White River State Park (which is huge, and could even be a site for the social)
-Indy Zoo
-Conner Prairie
-Conseco Fieldhouse - NBA, WBNA (Pacers, Fever), AFL (Firebirds) used for hockey, soceer, concerts, etc.
-Victory Field (baseball)
-Verizon Music Center - concerts
-Indy Museum of Art
-War Memorial Parks all over (second largest number of memorials in the US)
-Indiana State Fairgrounds, usually year-round events.
...and more... there's plenty for people to do, and these are just the main "touristy" attractions.
-There's 6 parking garages just surrounding the Dome/CC... I see "event" parking in garages and surface lots range from $5-$15, right near the arena. That's cheaper than some parking at regionals and Atlanta.
-The traffic is almost never bad around Indy. You've got the big Indy Loop, and it's never really too bad.
-Interstates from all directions lead right into Indy.
-Indiana has strong FIRST support through it's 21 teams. Heck, it's where IRI is!!!
-And weather, in April, really isn't that bad. Sure you can have freak weather, but it's been pretty great weather... actually I think this April was pretty warm.
-Monument Circle would be a cool place for a webhug... hmm.

Traffic and roads would be a reason I'd nix Chicago and Detroit, esp if you're not staying within walking distance to the arena. Traffic can be a complete nightmare in and out of the cities, esp on weekdays. Finding your way around Indy is easy, and downtown things are well marked. Parking garages, last I knew, were still really cheap... at least on non-event days. On a weekend for shopping was only a couple bucks for the whole day. (that could have changed). It's one of those "smaller, big cities".

With all that said... I still like Atlanta, as it's worked out pretty well from what I can tell. I might venture to say Indy has more immediate area things to do, within a 1-2mi radius. And it's relatively centrally located. I agree it's tough on those western teams to travel far all the time, but until a solid, sufficient venue can be acquired, they might be outta luck for close proximity.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I'm liking that idea :)

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Dean Simmons and the Kamens! We could fill the place! The concert could be a FIRST Fundraiser *


*10% to the band manager, of course

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

The is a countless numbr of things to do in Atlanta.

There is the CNN center.
Coming soon is one of the largest aquariums in the world
Underground atlanta
Many malls. A little bit out is the Mall of Georgia which is the largest mall in the southeast
6 Flags
American Adventrues
Atlanta Motor Speedway
World of Coke
Centennial park
Hawks (we are coming back)
The amazing Braves
Lenoxx Square
Buckhead
These are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. If you can't find something to do in atlanta you are not looking.Atlanta is a very large city when it comes to tourism.

And there is no need to worry about safety in Atlanta if you travel in groups. That is a relatively safe part of the city. Plus, most people travel together when walking from hotel to competition and back.

I guess it would be pretty cool to go to the NCAA hall of fame though.

Why are the homeless 'bad'?
 

I don't understand what everyone is talking about in regards to safety. I walked around a fair bit and saw nothing to be concerned with.

With people asking you for change, what is so scary about them? I've NEVER had someone curse me or threaten me after they asked me for change, so I wonder where you find all these scary mean people.


Wetzel

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

There certainly is plenty to do in Atlanta (not that people every have that much time in the first place). But depending on where you're staying, some of it isn't within a 1-2mi walking radius... :)
I don't think safety is a huge concern there either. There are some areas that seem sketchy, but it's all pretty good. It'll be interesting to see if it remains there... it's been a good venue.. I like it, anyways.. except for the 13hr bus ride.. :)

They can be the next stars from the corn state.. :) Throw a little change my way, friend....

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

While our team is happy to have the Championship’s in our area we certainly understand others wanting them near their home. Amy’s suggestion of Indianapolis is the first one that I have seen that has an enclosed dome next to a convention center like here in Atlanta.

The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is the 4th largest convention facility in the USA. There are more than 10,500 hotel rooms within walking distance (source atlantadowntown.com). That appears to be about twice the rooms of Indianapolis downtown area per Amy’s statistics. The floors of the RCA Dome and the Georgia Dome have close to the same amount of space. GA has 102,000 sq. ft. and RCA has 95,000. The GWCC building C, level 1 that the pits were in this year has 418,500 sq. ft. It appears that almost all were happy with the new location this year. I am not sure about available space in IN or availability of covered walkways from the pits to the RCA Dome. The weather in April typically will be warmer in Atlanta but as Amy said, freak weather could hit either area. If was of course kind of chilly here on Saturday night this year.

Does the IN facilities have a large food court close by similar to CNN Center in Atlanta, to obtain lower priced and a wide variety of food? What type of mass transit is available in IN to get people around and to and from the airport? As most know, Atlanta has the Marta rail service including to the airport. I know that some enjoyed going to a major league baseball game here this year. About 80 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta. Does the IN facilities have large grassy areas to gather in, throw a frisbee or football, or have a web hug as Atlanta does? :)

About one month ago it was announced that "Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, plans to invest up to $150 million in the state-owned Georgia Dome. While a big reason is to help the city land the Super Bowl all who use the dome will benefit. Mr. Blank said "But the reality is that if we don't get the bid, this is the right thing to do for Atlanta and our community."

Also, late this year Atlanta's new aquarium will open. This should help address some concerns about things to do in downtown Atlanta. Thanks to a generous gift from Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, the Georgia Aquarium will be one of the largest and most exciting aquariums in the world, featuring more than 55,000 animals from 500 different species in over 5 million gallons of water. The Georgia Aquarium is located in downtown Atlanta, next to the new World of Coca-Cola, and across the street from CNN Center, the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park and “Imagine It!”, Atlanta’s Children’s Museum.

One item that I have not seen mentioned is an assumption I am making but very confident in. That assumption is that the State Of Georgia very likely gives “First” a VERY substantial discount on the rental of the GA Dome and GWCC. If that is correct, would other venues offer the same to First?

While none of the suggestions made here will likely have any influence on the people deciding years 2007 and beyond, it is fun to talk about it. The bottom line is that we love having it here in Atlanta. However Indianapolis may be a good choice or perhaps Toronto? I have been to Toronto and it is a beautiful city. However the Toronto weather this year during the finals was 34-55 degrees F. For all we know someone in “First” may have already decided!

I am in no way trying to say that Atlanta is better than IN or any others. I just wanted to state the facts about ATL and find out more about other potential locations.

Dave

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Someone suggested Long Beach Convention Center and Sports Arena. That complex is a covered sports arena next to a convention center. I don't know about covered walkways, though.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I have read a good majority of all the responses to this thread, and though there was a good piece of resistance to Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick (Mayor of Detroit) needs a reason to work harder and spend city money wisely. ;) Besides that, there are other considerable reasons I should list, even though some may have been mentioned before.

• Home of the 'big 3' automakers: GM, Chrysler, Ford, etc.
• By the time the championship event comes, and if the lockout is over by then, teams and their members will have the opportunity to watch Detroit Red Wings playoff hockey.
• You can watch the tigers, but only if you REALLY like baseball. Otherwise, its up to you about that.
• Probably the most important reason of all: 45 minute drive from my home to the event. My Grandmother lives even closer. I'd love to get my family to see Nationals and FIRST in its full glory. (and what I've been up to getting involved with FIRST, and not just my local robotics team.)
• Even more important: Michigan is 2nd to California (I think) in number of teams. (Yet again, that's second. Twist the statistics whichever way you wish.)

I mean, we've been going to Florida, Texas, and Georgia for the past 3-4 years; Michigan teams have followed. That ends my 3 cents.

-Joe

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

You know, I partially posted all that Indy information to see how many would follow suit to explain why THEIR city would be a good choice. Many have mentioned cities, but haven't really covered all the basis for holding a FIRST championship.

Dave - great post. As for hotel rooms, here's what else I could dig up at the moment. Looks like there are 31 hotels within the 5mi radius of downtown, 20 of them, with 5200 rooms, are within 1.5mi of the Dome, 7 of which are directly connected to the CC... There would also be a number of teams from Indiana (that typically attend) that wouldn't have to stay overnight in Indy.
Actually, the way I read your source of 10,500 rooms is that it's within walking distance "of facilities and major attractions", not necessarily just the Georgia Dome, so I wonder what the distance of all those rooms are.
-64,000 parking spaces in downtown Indy... within walking distance... Some stats: http://www.indydt.com/parking.html

The White River State Park I mentioned, perfect place for Social and webhug... It's a lot larger than Centennial Park as far as grounds, so they could easily pick an area and do it. It includes many of the attractions I listed, accessible from it's grounds. Plus, I think it's basically right across from the Dome and they hold tons of events and rent it out. www.inwhiteriver.org
Also, monument circle (down the street) would be a neat place for a webhug. It's a big monument right in the center of downtown, with a relatively large stepped, fountain, meeting area surrounding it, with brick road roundabout going around it.

The CC and Dome are directly connected, per their map in the link I gave. So, though I've not actually walked those paths, I'm sure they're similar to that of Georgia. Looks to me like it's covered walkway between the buildings. The available space is huge, with like 6 halls all in the same building. That link showed the sq footage, and actually said how many 10x10 "booths" it can hold per hall.

The food court is something I'd have to check too. The only one I'm relatively aware of is the one in Circle Center Mall and seems there's something calls City Market, but it's not quite as big as the CNN center, esp seating. However, there are tons of restaurants/fast foods all in that area, which is something I think there's more of than in Georgia (at least in the immediate area). But, I'm not sure what the convention center has as far as food courts. I did read about catering and such, but I dont' know how that works.

Don't have a clue about discounting of facilities in Indy. That's something that, since it hasn't been held here, I don't think we would know. FIRST would have to tell us if they knew, and I doubt they feel the need to tell us that.
As far as I could tell, it would seem like timing in April would be open in Indy, as I hadn't seen any other big conventions going on during that timeframe the last couple years.

I'll see if I can come up with some other info.. :)
Interesting note - more than half the nations population lives within a day's drive of Indy.. And more interstate segments intersect with Indy than any other metro area in the US. 24 airlines into the airport. Regarding transportation out of the airport, it's only 10mi to downtown. Hmmm.. it does say Amtrak is available from downtown to airport.. I don't think I've been in many "downtowns" that are easy to drive through as Indy.

A few events the CC and Dome have hosted: NFL action of course, Closing ceremonies for Pan-American Games, World indoor track/field championships, world gymnastics champs, NCAA Final Four Mens (3 times already), Women's Final Four this year, and Mens again in '06 and '10, the Black Expo Convenction (every year?). In general, there's the Indy 500 and Nascar every year!

If it were in Indy, it could be more financially effective for teams to travel on the ground. Southern states, Canada, MI, WI, Eastern states, midwestern states, and a few western states (not quite CA)... many of those fly now. Some would be a long bus ride, but it could save them airfare costs, potentially.

So, people, why should it come to your city?? We need substantial, basis-covered, information... Just because there's a Dome, or convention center, doesn't make it a good place. See what you can dig up on your own city... :)

And, just because a state has the most number of teams doesn't make it the best place to hold it... Not all those teams compete at championships... course, they could attend to watch.... so, what else you got? Let's seem some nice, fun debates on this... :p
I don't think anyone argues Atlanta can host the FIRST event well. What different cities?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Busiest airport in the world. Easy access for not only US teams but also international teams which are growing in number.

Most people have absolutely no problem with travel due to MARTA and many teams have said that their busses they brought to Atlanta just sit in a parking lot.

1 big question though. Honestly, how important are other attractions during a FIRST Event. I don't know about you guys, but after a day or two, most of our team is dead. Wednesday night people are just getting in. By friday night, most people are really trying to get their sleep, and Saturday is the carnival.

That leaves only Thrusday open. Maybe that is only my team. Maybe it is because we live here. I honestly believe that no city that has been discussed thoroughly here will have a large problem with attractions. Maybe other teams really look for attractions And even then, Atlanta has been ranked one of the top ranked cities for tourism in the nation.

The people here in Atlanta have dealt with champs before and know exactly how to run it and are improving on it constantly. This is evident from the movement of the pits and the reduced fares for hotel rooms.

If you go to another city it would be like someone said before in this thread reinventing the wheel.

This city has a history of being good with large scale events
Just a few:
- 1996 Olympics
- ACC Basketball Tournament
- NCAA Men's Final Four
- Sold out Falcon's game for every single home game
- Chick-fil-A Bowl
- SEC Championships
- Superbowl of Motor Sports
- Supercross
- NFL Superbowl
- NBA All-Star Game
- Bishop T.D. Jakes religious gathering

The city can definetly handle the growth of FIRST.
I don't think there were more than 50 teams that took the time to drive down to the dome in a bus or a car.

It must have looked pretty weird for a bystander to watch thousands of people all moving towards the dome in costumes and wearing bright colored shirts covered in buttons and not knowing what exactly was happening.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

This thread has become very long, so it's possible to miss some of the earlier suggestions. My earlier post describes the St. Louis option:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...7&postcount=25

Edward Jones Stadium is a fully enclosed dome (home of the St. Louis Rams) and America's Center is a large convention facility adjacent to the stadium. It is walking distance from Laclede's Landing and the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium and other downtown attractions.

There is light rail service from the airport to downtown St. Louis, so you have the same convenience that MARTA provides in Atlanta.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Anyone remember Atlanta in '96? The olympics have been in atlanta; them coming to atlanta helped solve some (but obviously not all) of the traffic problems here. Olympic facilities aren't used because the Turner field (used for olypics) is open air and thus weather would be an issue. Besides, the georgia dome is one of a limited number of domes in the world, and they are preparing to do over 100 million in renovations to it. The only issue I see in atlanta is with location of the pits, but they improved on that this year, maybe even more in the future. Who knows what will happen, but I hope they stay in atlanta. Not just because I live here but because I havn't seen a better suited location yet.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Not to mention how easy it is to get to six flags or white water :yikes:

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

How many championships have you seen? :)

I think there are other locations out there that can suit it, that haven't held Olympics. So far I haven't seen enough information on other cities to know though.

Looking at the teams that attended this season, there were 41% that were in 12hr driving distance of Atlanta (majority being at the max or few minutes beyond 12hrs), but 65% to Indy (and majority of these were <9hrs to Indy). However, if you look at the Michigan teams, and assume they would have a slow moving bus driving them to Atlanta, that wouldn't make it in 12hrs, it drops to 28% of teams were in 12hr driving of Atlanta. Whether teams would choose to drive or fly, don't know. Depends on their budget, size of team, etc... But it does show the proximity of where many teams are coming from and a potential cost savings for many.

We can't expect it to be held in Atlanta forever, though I do like it... or maybe we can... but I highly doubt it.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I think he may have been saying that he hasn't seen a better suited city for championships that has been posted in this thread.

It would be fun to play in the same dome as the Greatest Show on Turf. There is plenty to do and it is much closer to California teams than Atlanta is.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Does anyone know when the decision will be made about the next host after Atlanta finishes up its contract?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

If you have not had the pleasure of sitting in the EPCOT stadium on a clear, beautiful Saturday morning with 20,000 of your closest friends, then you can't understand why Disney is the only choice.

The only down side was that, sometimes, less dedicated folks were itching to go to the parks when they weren't supposed to.

Other cities are great and I have had a nice time in Atlanta and Houston, but Disney is pure MAGIC. There is an intangible feeling of togetherness that overwhelmed people there.

It also attracted more media attention and important visitors.

As a mentor, I also liked the safety and security of the parks.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Well, if we want to be called the Superbowl of Smarts again as we were in 2003, when we were in Texas, and the 2004 Bowl was held there, then... We can always have the choice of these Cities:

Tampa, Atlanta, Houston:
Or, even these cities which will host it in the next upcoming years:
Detroit, Miami, Glendale, AZ.
I've never been to Miami.. :cool: Or Tampa, Or Detroit Or Arizona for that matter.
But, which city has an International Airport very close by?
All of them?


Oh yeah, and for all you NYC Championship supporters:


* Source:



As for my own opinion, I believe that FIRST is an extension of Dean, and the things he does in his buisiness world is directly linked with his little microcosm of the world known as FIRST. Thus, since he wants support from D.C. for many of his projects, and also the fact that he is looking into patent reform who's office is in D.C., then I see Washington D.C, as a definate candidate for The Championship Event sometime in the future.
But... keep in mind I have not ever been to D.C., other than for a few days/hours no where near the heart in the thick of the city, but if it was in D.C., where could it be held?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

That's an awsome point about DC that makes a lot of sense. I'm not completely familar with the DC area but the MCI center might work (might be too small).. I'm sure Washington has a big Expo center somewhere in the city that could host the compeition. I just don't know how seating arrangments and Ultimatly six fields could be setup in an expo center. (Ehh Woodie teaches at MIT and Dave Lavrey works at NASA I'm sure they could figure something out)

I'm just not sold on FIRST leaving Atlanta or going to another non-NFL domed arena (remeber MLB is back in session in April). Four fields, plus einstine and VEX is a lot stuff to push into one area, which is why a strictly NBA/NCAA basketball arena would be almost impossible to run the compeition, plus the NBA is also still in season during April and there could be a conflict of intrest between the NBA team and FIRST compeition.

Unless FIRST finds a way to host the compeition in Washington DC or a major industrial area where there would be a major impact on FIRST as whole; I don't think it would make much sense for them to leave Atlanta and that setup they have down to a science in Atlanta.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Washington just finished building a new convention center :yikes: , so they should have enough space there.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

There is enough space for the pits, but nowhere to put playing fields with enough seating.


Wetzel

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Even though Atlanta lost the Super Bowl bid, Arthur Blank, the owner of the Falcons is still going to go through with his $150 million renovation of the Georgia Dome. I got that from an AJC Article. I think the renovation will be taking place in 2007 or something like that.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

So during what months will this renovation take place? I'm guessing NOT during football season, which means the spring/summer months. How long would it take? I assume the Georgia Dome would be off limits while the construction was going on. Is that a potential impediment to Atlanta receiving the contract?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I don't think that the renovations would occur durin Spring. The reason for this is because during Spring, there are quite a few events. Especially the AJC International Auto Show the week before Nationals. Summer is the biggest option for renovation time because there afe fewer events going on during summer (or atleast I think so).

And looking at the improvements that it looks like they are making, I don't believe much of it will effect the kids except the concourse areas around the Dome.

In all, I don't believe that there will be a problem and that this may actually help the bid. The fact that there is gonna be a renovation to the exterior of the Dome. Maybe we will start using the video screens to display some of the final matches.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: ONE WORD, PHILADEPHIA

It the city of Brotherly Love, so eveyone can get along with each other

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I think one of my mentors who is trying to get champs to stay in Atlanta said the big places being looked at right now are Atlanta, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Epcot again.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I really miss the days of The Championship at Disney World. It was so much fun feeling that you could go anywhere at anytime of the day/night safely since it was its own little city. It was also tons of fun being able to walk anywhere and see at least 50% of the other people wearing robotics shirts. It felt more close and comfortable than Houston or Atlanta have felt, but that's just my $0.02.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

i have only been to atlanta
but i have heard that epcot was awesome
and there was stuff to do after the competition
something that FIRST needs to look into

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I personally like Atlanta and would like to see the Championships remain there for at least of few more years. Though Championships in California would be cool too.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

:) :cool: :D My vote would be anywhere warm. Tampa, Orlando, LA, or San Francisco

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I'm conflicted. I would say detroit so the winners wouldn't have to take the trophy far :D :D :p JK, But this year it was snowing during Nationals and it wouldnt be cool to be in Michigan when it is snowing, espsecially when you need to walk.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

One draw back for Epcot, so I heard. I heard the pits were on black top in a parking lot...in the heat. So that could lead to medical problems. Sure, it would be fun to go back there, but think about safety. Wouldn't Epcot be more costly then Atlanta, Indy or Detroit? The best area to have nationals should be in the middle part of America or in the area where a high concentration of teams would be. The Midwest would be a good general area to have Nationals. But that's just my $0.02.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

San Francisco...not warm but hella rad!

As much as I love SF (i plan on living there after college, maybe during), I dont think its a good place for a robotics championship...too crowded and small. But that's just my opinion, i could be wrong.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I posted before, but I'm not sure if I mentioned or saw anybody mention Kansas City, MO.. They are the host of SkillsUSA's National Leadership and Skills Conference (about the same amount of people as FIRST and takes up a ton of room).. Bartle Hall is right across the street from the Marriot Downtown, Holiday inn, Double Tree, and I believe 1 more hotel like right on that street.

It might be good in Kansas City for a few reasons; first everybody pretty much has to travel because Kansas City is in a fairly remote FIRST area, so that means all the west coast and east coast teams and everybody in between would take a dent with paying for travel. This would give FIRST the opportunity to really shine in an area that lots of school districts don't have FIRST teams, give them a chance to recruit to get school administrators to visit, as well as all the advertising that would end up happening in the local news papers. Kansas City is another "cheap" big city everything was reasonably priced when I was there with SkillsUSA. The problem would be seating arrangements in the convention center setting.

My gut feeling tells me FIRST will be in Indianapolis, because the Northeast and Midwest are packed with so many teams, plus not to mention Indianapolis has to be fairly cheap compared to a lot of big cities on the east and west coast (NYC, LA, Boston, Washington DC are somewhat expensive places to visit for 3-4-5 days). My dad worked for Siemens VDO for 16 years and spent lots of time in Detroit and he said that was a really bad city. From what I understand about the city, if you think Atlanta underground was scary to walk around after 9-10pm, then Detroit is not the city you'd want to have host FIRST. Disney I just don't think has the resources to host this competition, sadly I don’t think Universal Studios does either, although I don't know if there’s anywhere else in the city capable of hosting the championship.

No matter what happens, this next contract will probably be fairly short because I think FIRST would like to hit every major area that has FIRST teams. I'm sure FIRST would love to eventually host the championship on the West Coast since Cali has the most teams and I'm pretty confident they would like to eventually return home to the New England area where everything started.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Well, this is sort of a detriment also. Wherever the Champs are held, they have to raise money to fund it....FIRST doesn't just provide all the money needed... there needs to be a relatively large amount of local support, corporate and teamwise. So, while it would be great to expose that part of the country to the event, it may not have the ability to support the event with less support there currently. Unfortunately, I don't think it's a bonus to have majority of teams having to take a dent for travel expense... While it may seem "fair" in some respects, it may not be a great reason. But, it would be smack in the middle of the country!

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I don't know how long the announcement has been there, but the FRC website states that its going to be in Atlanta again for 2006.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Yup, it's in Atlanta for atleast one more year. It's the 3rd year on a 3 year contract.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Yep!! Hence the title of this thread! :D

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

The entire venue was built on Epcot's 'Discover' parking lot, I think. It may actually be the 'Journey' lot, however, as I can't remember the order they're laid out in. In any case, no asphalt was visible throught the whole venue. It was all covered by false grass or plastic flooring. The pits were housed in an air-conditioned tent. It was, in most cases, quite cold in the pits.

Of all things, I am least concerned about safety with respect to the event at Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World is undoubtedly more expensive than any other venue FIRST could probably find, save perhaps for New York City, Las Vegas or Los Angeles. As I've stated time and again, though, it is worth the cost. FIRST is not an organization that should be settling for or in search of the cheapest options, but demanding the best facilities the world has to offer.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Maddie, while I agree for the most part with what you've said, I feel every paragraph should have the clause 'to an extent' after it.

Fees just to participate in one regional have been raised, and many teams have felt the heat. Look at this year's controversial congratulatory NASA Grant thread - instead of 'yay, the teams who needed money got it' it turned into a vicious, rumor-driven thread of 'why did someone else get money, when xxx team really needs it?'. There are teams who come into existence and simply can't last for more than a year or two. While it's true that FIRST is continually growing at a rather rapid rate, many of us have agreed that maintenance of current teams is just as key as new growth.

Of course there are teams who do have the money, and would love to see the event return to Disney. If it went back, and there was a significant price increase, how many teams would really feel the pressure? Why shouldn't FIRST be looking for the cheapest facilities? Aren't we, as customers, entitled to getting our money's worth? I really like Disney. I haven't been back since 2002. But I really like being able to afford going to the championships every year, and not having an arm and a leg ripped off just to pay for my hotel room. Robotics aside, Disney is not a cheap place as it is. How many of this year's Championship teams could afford Atlanta, but not Disney?

I don't think it's FIRST responsibility to find a venue with all the bells and whistles that it could possibly have. It is, however, FIRST's responsibility to create a fun championship event, and do everything possible to make it worth the money we pay to them for these events. I did not attend Houston, but I have been to Atlanta the past two years, and I can say that FIRST made it well worth the money to attend (or else, why would I go?). Does it have to be Disney to be a great event? No. It would be fun, but it's not imperative we move it back there.

To have a great robotics event, Disney would need FIRST. But FIRST doens't need Disney.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Amanda -- I largely agree. I was speaking, in that last paragraph, in a most general sense and didn't intend any implication of what FIRST should currently be doing to host the event.

Rather, I'm frustrated by the world's reluctance to bend over backwards for FIRST. We shouldn't be scraping up spare change to get to a venue, we should be apologizing to New York City and tell them we'll be competing in Paris in 2012.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

With that, I don't think I (or anyone else that is fully hooked by this program) could agree more.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Another 2 cents-

1. any place FIRST hosts the Championship should be warm and not at the mercy of late season blizzards and other such events
2. any place FIRST hosts the Championship needs a large number of hotels and resources for tourists or conventioneers
3. any place FIRST hosts should be moderately contained so the chaperones of the thousands of kids can keep track of them
4. any place FIRST hosts should have alternative activities for the after hours to keep the kids busy

In my mind this eliminates any place north of the Mason Dixon Line.

Having been to all of the venues that FIRST has held Championships the best by far has been Epcot. The others are good but not so good to be competitive in my mind. I like Atlanta but the after hours were quite lacking.

In 2002 Epcot hosted about 350 teams. To my knowledge the FRC event hasn't greatly surpassed that . Cost for the teams has never seemed to be a limiting factor from the FIRST perspective. And FIRST itself seems to be limiting the overall event to the 4 field maximum by their own policy anyway.

My vote is for Epcot. There has been nothing to surpass it since. (and most of the kids writing in this forum haven't experienced it)

WC :cool:

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I'm going to throw in my $3.17 (that's 2 cents adjusted for inflation with the result in 1982 dollars):

I did not attend the '03 Houston Championships, but I was in Atlanta in '04 and '05, as well as in EPCOT in '02. Both EPCOT and the Georgia Dome have their ups and downs as far as venues for Championships. And I had a great time at both venues.

While I agree that FIRST should be seeking a low-cost city in order to keep the competition affordable for teams, you're going to get more in terms of FIRST's growth and popularity if you hold it in a popular, high-cost city. Lots of people go to Disney on vacation, but let's face facts here -- who goes to Atlanta, unless it's for business or to see family in the area? Okay, the Olympics were there in 1996, but far more people have heard of the Olympics than have heard of FIRST.

Imagine this: you've never heard of FIRST, and you're on vacation with your family at Disney. The day your family decides to go to EPCOT, you see thousands of kids your age in colorful shirts plastered with buttons running around the park. You find out what's going on, check out some of the competition. You're so impressed with and excited by what you see that you say, "I want to do this!" When you get home, you tell all your friends, and try to start a FIRST team at your school. Or you're a teacher on vacation and you see the same thing.

Now, can you see someone going to Atlanta, and just happening to take a tour of the Georgia Dome that day? It's likely, but not nearly as likely as it would be at a more popular vacation spot.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for affordable venues. But are we more likely to get the message of FIRST out if we have our Championship Event in a place like New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles, or a place like Indianapolis, Kansas City, or Baltimore?

(Before you complain to me -- I've been to Indianapolis, and Baltimore, and I like them both. I'm just saying they're not popular leisure travel destinations.)

There's a tradeoff that must be addressed. Personally, I feel that teams should be able to afford to compete in the Championship Event if they so desire... the message of FIRST can be spread by us FIRSTies telling all our friends and family about how addictive and fun this is. But most people do not know any FIRSTies. So how do we address this? I'm not entirely sure. What are your thoughts?

As a FIRST addict, I certainly agree that we should be apologizing to New York City and telling them we're going to have our Championship Event in Paris in 2012. As a realist, I know that this isn't going to be possible until FIRST becomes more popular and achieves the sports-like status that Dean Kamen originally envisioned. That's going to take work.

-Tom

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Great point. But can Epcot handle the Venu size. I haven't ben in a while and dont really remember.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

To add to the previous post about the venue needs, i'd like to add "Major Airport". It's much cheaper to fly to Detroit, than Toledo for example becuase Detroit it 25 times larger than Toledo.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Some random thoughts on this:

1. $$$$$
The cost of attending Championships at Disney World was high. However, from what I heard, the price was going to be increased dramatically in the 2003 season, hence the move to Houston.

2. Facility
Attending Championships at Disney World was fun and safe. Hotels were excellent and the entertainment was stellar. However, the competition facilities were both temporary and expensive. It was frustrating to not be able to see matches on the main stage and have little seating room on the auxilliary field. With regard to simply looking at the competition side of things, I prefer competing in a dome or stadium.

3. Fun
I miss Disney World. My kids and wife miss going there also. However, realizing that it would cost WAAAAAY more than our last 3 years of attending championships, I still prefer having the FIRST Championships not at WDW for FIRST teams.

4. Location
Having the Championships at a central location is important. This saves more money for more teams if they don't have to fly. Also, I disagree with Wayne's requirement that the Championship must be above the Mason/Dixon line. Weather in late April isn't much different in Detroit, Indy or Atlanta (this is a generalization, and just an opinion... someone may prove me wrong here). Florida would be hotter, but these 3 cities would be approximately the same temp, from what I can tell. If the date was Feb. or March, I would agree with Wayne. April is different.

5. Spectators
We were always amazed at the lack of spectators FIRST would bring in from the Disney parks when it was located there. WDW did a poor job of advertizing the event, and people did not take the time to leave the park and come into the tent city of FIRST. A few people did make this trip, but not as many as might be expected. Having the Championships at WDW did not add spectators (except people who were on FIRST teams to only go to WDW).

The Championships needs to be in a city where FIRST takes over for the weekend. There is a fine line between the city being too big where the FIRST Championships would not make an impact and a city being too small to not be able to host the Championships. Imo, FIRST did not take over Atlanta. Unless you talked to a FIRST team member, were in the convention center or Georgia Dome, you would not know that there was a robotics event in the dome. Yes, there was some media coverage (both on the local news and the local newspaper), but there could've been more attention to FIRST robots in Atlanta.

Indianapolis is the right size for the Championships, and we would "take over" downtown for the weekend. Signs would be up. Hotel and restaurant people would know about robots and FIRST.

It could be a dream:
Waitresses would be asking how you did during qualification matches. Policemen would be wanting to know if you used PID control for your arm motion. Cabbies would be looking over your top 20 picks after your Friday night strategy session. Hotel busboys will be telling you that although team 131 was 2-3 during today's qualification matches, they had bad luck and should be a top pick. The Gondola driver on Canal Walk will help you scrutinize your Chairman's presentation. The Indianapolis Indians will have "FIRST Robotics Day" at Victory Field, and the new WFA winner would throw out the first pitch. Payton Manning and Jermaine O'Neil would be working as field resetters on Einstein. Tony George would be checking robot tires for traction, asking what teams used.
It will be a great thing.

Andy B.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Perhaps I'm the only person who froze my tush off in Atlanta during the team party. Weather is weather. It changes. In late April in Georgia, it was around 50 degrees. In mid-March in Indiana, it was 75. The Midwest, as well as the Southeast, Northwest, and every other direction you can think of, unfortunately do not come equipped with built-in temperature control. It's nice when it's warm, but certainly not mandatory.

While I agree that the flashier, more populated location is going to lend to more publicity, I can tell you honestly that I wouldn't want to take a teamful of twenty kids and release them in NYC or LA. There's a huge difference between Disney, which may as well be its own city, chock full of security and employees, and New York City, which would envelop the FIRST competition as if it were a science fair. There are simply too many 'what-if's'. For the students, don't get me wrong - I am not doubting your mature, responsible ways. :) I'm simply insinuating that things happen, and as a volunteer (or if I were an engineer, or a teacher), I would not want the responsibility of taking someone else's children to a different state, into a large city, and trying to keep them under wraps, much less safe and secure.

Do I think this is a great idea in the long run, though? Yes... but I don't think FIRST is ready for it.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Well, EPCOT was a temporary facility built in the parking lot. They could probably make it as big as needed (so long as they could close down an entire lot). The only thing I really didn't care for about it was that they rotated fields (i.e. you weren't always on your division's home field), and one of the fields was outside in the heat.

I'm not so sure, actually.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I didn't really think about it, but yes, having the event outside the actual park hurt our chances at getting outside spectators. I don't think they could have held it IN the park, though.

Hm, I think that would be neat, if we "took over a city" for the weekend. That's a good point. I don't think people outside the Georgia Dome or local hotel staffs even knew what was going on.
I'd love that! But do you think a policeman (who doesn't have a FIRSTie son or daughter) would even know what PID control is? ;) We can dream.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I, too, was cold. Having the competition in warmer climates helps, but it doesn't guarantee a warm sunny weekend, as we all saw in Atlanta this year -- it was cold, and rainy sometimes.

Well, yes, there are security concerns, but I think they exist anywhere BUT Disney. Even in Atlanta, there were issues. For example, for some reason some students on my team coming off the MARTA train from the airport (and let me tell you, MARTA was, um, an "experience"), decided to follow some random local Atlantan to our hotel. Now, how did they know he wasn't leading us into some dark alley to beat us up and steal our money? (He did hold his hand out at the end...) I'm not saying that all high school kids are like this, in fact, the majority, I've found, posess basic street smarts -- teachers and parents and mentors have responsibilities to make sure the students don't get into trouble -- and that exists ANYWHERE. It's going to be just as crummy if someone beats you up and steals your wallet in Atlanta or in NYC. And I certainly wouldn't want, as a mentor, to have to answer to an upset parent whose son or daughter was kidnapped while under my watch. That's called responsibility -- as a team chaperone, it is a requirement, and one I have never taken lightly.

I agree that NYC would probably "envelop" the competiton, but only because there are more people there. That's the whole point. Perhaps a smaller percentage of the population would hear about it, but a greater number of people would hear about it.

I also agree that larger cities have higher crime rates... but my point, I guess is that crime unfortunately, exists anywhere you go.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Weather Data for April (From Weather.Com)
Atlanta
- Average High: 73 F
- Average Low: 50 F
- Average Precipitation: 3.62 in

Detroit
- Average High: 59 F
- Average Low: 39 F
- Average Precipitation: N/A

Indianapolis
- Average High: 63 F
- Average Low: 41 F
- Average Precipitation: 3.61 in

Orlando
- Average High: 83 F
- Average Low: 60 F
- Average Precipitation: 2.42 in

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I see no security issues when you are travelling with a minimum of like 10 other people. It isn't even an issue when you are alone. Maybe at night but otherwise it isnt at all. Atleast I havn't had any experiences. I just don't see safety as too much of an issue. Also, the weather in Georgia like anyone can tell you is just plain wierd. 1 day you can freeze to death, and then the next day, you can b burnt to a crisp. It is just weird. Nothing you can do about it.
Quick fact.
Atlanta lost the 2007 Superbowl bid partly because of the weather.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

FIRST should have bids as to which arena will give them the best deal. FIRST will bring any arena into the international eye just with one championship event.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

They do.
FIRST approaches cities that have adequate facilities and meet their standards, and ask them to place a bid on the event.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

LA, NYC, Chicago (even Indianapolis and baltimore) are already heavily actvie FIRST areas. In these areas its almost as if FIRST is becomeing too popular with too many teams and not enough sources of funding. New teams are forming and dying right away or forceing well established teams either in massive cut backs to their programs or forceing them to die out. Does anybody know how many rookie teams actually registered this year and never even made it to compeition?

Its just a double edged sword for FIRST because realisticly for 2007 if they go to Indianapolis, it's so close to so many teams it would certainly help a lot of budgets on travel (I know my former team from CT would be e-mailing every CT team asking to share a coach bus or something).. However with the hype of FIRST in the area it may prompt a lot of school districts to look at the comepition and see how big FIRST really is, and essentally may hurt other Indiana teams with more compeition for sponsors, resources, mentors, etc..

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

That, and it must be hard finding facilities, after all April still has the NBA in session, NHL (if they ever return), and even MLB teams are already in the regular season (domed baseball fields would be a great host).

Those factors alone realistcly limit the options for facilities since major cities have NBA, NHL, and MLB teams playing in the same venues FIRST would be interested in. It may not neccessarly be FIRST saying "we don't want to go to LA" when the arena is saying "The Lakers might be in town, go somewhere else"

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Yes, but football fields across the US are open for usage. NBA courts and NHL rinks don't have enough room either.

But then again, there is an issue with larger events that would bring more money that would want to use the same football field at the same time as Nationals.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

As much as I'd like to have the Championship here in Southern California, I'm not sure it would happen anytime soon. The chief reason is a lack of suitable venues. You'd think with the Rose Bowl and Coliseum we'd have it made. But those stadia, and every other venue in Southern California that would be large enough is open to the sky.

We generally have such perfect weather that our large venues don't bother with the expense of roofing. I can't think of a single venue in Southern California that is larger than a basketball court and has a roof. Add to that the fact that April is the tail end of our rainy season, such as it is. So having some way to keep the water out of the robots is essential.

In general, I think the colder areas of the country are atually in better shape for this sort of thing. Maybe Seattle?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

There are probably several in the form of warehouses and convention centers and the such, but these places usually lack a viewing "stands" area or the height to put one, not to mention the "pizazz" and layout of a real arena type place.

Even if you could guarantee no rain, the hot sun would probably be miserable. Wherever it is, I say it must have a roof.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Seattle would be cool. I'd be all for that. They have Safeco field which has a retractable roof, which would work.

I see FIRST sticking to a more centralized location though. While it would (finally) give us west coasters a break, it leaves the majority of teams with a more expensive trip.

Also, as I remember it, the hotels in downtown aren't really within walking distance of Safeco.

Maybe some day we'll see Nationals out here :)

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I don't think this will happen. I believe that it might spark new teams to start, but when the local business in the downtown areas see the amount of people that this attracts, and the coverage it is able to obtain, I think there is a better chance of companies supporting the struggling teams. I don't think the concentration of teams should be a high priority when choosing a venue. I believe that there should be some in the area to help raise awareness and find attention, but the number of teams is not a strict requirement.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

When you get a snowstorm closing the airports and ruining transportation at the Nationals on a big scale just once the 50 degrees in Atlanta will look pretty good. This thing needs to be held in the South where it is warmer. Sorry Midwesters but it isn't a treat to travel there when Orlando is available.

Of course this debate may be a done deal anyway from what rumors are saying....

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

i would love to see it at the sky dome in Toronto not only is it a good sized arena but i think it would cool to have a finals in Canada

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

It would be cool to see them in Canada but I doubt that will happen for awhile.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Do we know that Orlando is available? Perhaps it's just plain not feasible for many various reasons.

Considering 90% of the event is indoors, it's not the biggest disaster if it's a little chilly. The team wrapup party has been outdoors since it's been in the south, but who says it MUST be indoors?
It would do those southerners good to see a bit of snow once in a while.. :) Could be a first for some people! Though, snow isn't super likely in Indy in April.... Other midwest and northern states, definitely could be snow....
Can't wait to find out where our next destination will be.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Well, you do raise a good point there. To that end, a place like Kansas City or even Omaha (there are no registered Nebraska teams, last I checked) would be ideal. However...

I'm more inclined to agree with Ben. Obtaining sponsorship is quite difficult. Most of my team's sponsors this year were extremely local businesses (either in one of the two towns served by our high school). If there were large corporate sponsors it was because mentors on the team worked for these companies. I don't think we had a single corporate sponsor outside of the Worcester suburban area. (That includes large companies like Rohm and Haas, Raytheon, and National Grid -- the reason we were able to get sponsorship from these heavy hitters was because they have facilities in the Boston/Worcester area, already sponsor other FIRST teams, and had our mentors working in their facilities.)

To perhaps support your original point, local businesses don't traditionally have as much money to spend on charitable giving than large corporations. It was difficult to get monetary sponsorship. A few of our local sponsors contributed their products -- a Northborough print shop donated the labor involved in printing our team shirts, a Southborough bakery donated muffins and coffee for our Saturday morning meetings -- things like that.

On the other hand, the unfortunate truth is that businesses need to be approached. Bo the CFO is not going to wake up one morning and say, "I think the Conglom-O Corporation should sponsor a FIRST robotics team!" Sponsorship is obtained through cold calling, student involvement, and mentors approaching the people holding the purse strings at their places of employment.

That in mind, I doubt that having a Championship Event in any given city will benefit all but the most local of teams. You might get some suburban team benefit (towns around the city such as Carmel, Lawrence, and others -- it's been a few years since I was in Indy, but I almost took a job there so I was looking for apartments in its suburbs), but I doubt highly that having the Championship Event in Indianapolis will result in every Indiana business scrambling for a local team to sponsor. Furthermore, I don't think teams obtaining sponshorship will have any more difficult of a time doing so than they already do. Finding money is going to be a hard and undesirable (but necessary) job no matter what.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

I like Toronto as a city, and I'd also like to see more non-US teams. I think, though, they'd need to move the Mississauga Regional to elsewhere in the GTA if the Championships were to be held there. (Though, the Peachtree Regional is near Atlanta...)

I don't think we'll see a Canadian Championship Event anytime soon, though. Most teams are from the US, and you have new travel concerns introduced such as customs and currency exchanges. (Okay, yes, Canadian teams and teams from other countries currently deal with these every time. Non-North American teams even deal with language barriers.)

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Weather should not be the deciding factor. It canchange too much. If its cold, its just something that will have to be dealt with at the venue. Its not like the competition takes place outside.

Example:
It was 80F in Atlanta one day, then 50F the next. I was so cold at the team party that me and and a group of team members ventured to The Omni hot tub. In Detroit, It was pretty warm (mid-70F) before completion. The sunday after, I flew home to 6 inches of snow.

Price should be a deciding factor. Personally, I thought Atlanta was really expensive, atleast food and stuff was. The Omni was priced decently for a hotel of its type. Plane tickets from my area were also reasonably priced.

Personally, I'd like to see Championships in Chicago or on the West Coast (San Fransisco for instanc). Even New York City would be a pretty cool place to go. (I know venues capable of hosting this event probably aren't available in the cities i like though).

I think it would be cool if FIRST presented a list of possible venues and allowed everyone to vote, and then they would have an idea of where the general FIRST population would like to have competition.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Voting I do belive would b a good idea, but chances are, Championships would be held in Detroit or Californi most of the time. It would maybe make for larger crowds which would be a good thing.

I do agree that the Dome food was extremly expensive, but if you just walked over to the CNN Center prices were decent.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Well, this will be my second year in robotics and i got to go to nationals last year. Atlanta seemed to be pretty nice and is basically as optimal as it gets for a venue. Other than Atlanta, i would like to see a championship in Indianapolis, Detroit, Salt Lake City, or in my backyard. I would have considered New Orleanes because they have a great venue also, but with the recent events, robots are not what New Orleanes needs right now.

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Maybe I'm missing something... but other than for reasons of location, why exactly would anyone want to go to detroit?

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Ditto for Indianapolis and Salt Lake City. :)

Re: Championships location from 07 and onwards
 

Yeah, but at least those two don't have such a bad reputation.