The Championship
1. I got an earful of stories re: teams who should know better and disgraceful treatment of volunteers and other teams. This includes stories about behaviors in the stands (with lack of adequate seating) and treatment of longtime volunteers in important jobs like queuing. Really? I don't care how highly ranked you are if your team acts like jerks.
2. Communications. I apologize to the approximately 100 people who politely inquired at the official info booth about opening ceremonies and were told that ceremonies would also be broadcast in the pits and they could watch from there. Since I was training the St. Louis convention bureau people I made sure to get this information from a very reliable source. So something happened somewhere.
3. There needs to be a designated lane to the bleachers in the pits to avoid wearing safety glasses. This issue caused lots of unnecessary angst and confusion.
4. I apologize to the person I grabbed by the back of the shirt to prevent them from walking into a shot we were trying to film for the big screen interviewing volunteers. They had every right to yell at me. It is never appropriate to touch a volunteer without their permission and I regretted it immediately. It was a knee jerk reaction.
5. There needs to be a guide accompanying the maps. Another way to locate what you are looking for on the map. For example: "Boy Scouts of America" and you would see coordinates on a pit map like "E-9" or have a room listed. I spent hours trying to collect information on where everything was. Many of the published lists show times but not locations. This was a very confusing venue for the public. I missed the web hug
because I was trying to help someone locate someplace.
6. Trash cans. Recycling, including a way to recycle all those plastic containers provided for all the box lunches and dinners. Lightbulbs aren't the only way to save the planet.
7. More signage and more concrete signage to help people navigate.
8. A real lost and found available for all the activities. Not just in the pits.