My thought on any future Championship location.
The event should be centrally located in fairness to all parties. It takes an entire day to fly to the west coast from the east coast and then a day the other other way. Or vice versus. So 2 days just flying from location on one end of the country to the other takes too much time for students in school.
The warmer the climate in April the better. Many teams spend much time walking outside to hotels, restaurants, and site seeing as their primary mode of transportation once they reach the hotels.
Also, a Finale like Atlanta in the outdoors, with plenty of room for everyone, and fireworks was magical, inspiring, and a chance for all teams to be in the same place. So when deciding the venue, it would be good to see if the city had a location which would provide the same venue and have weather which would likely be cooperative.
Very important: Airline transportation with at least one major airport with many flights to the city. Competitive rates for flying to the location.
An abundance of affordable hotels.
Great opportunities for other educational experiences and fun venues in the area.
Many strong teams in the state so that the volunteer base is already well informed of FIRST and can handle the need for local, supportive volunteers.
Of course, facilities that can handle the venue, but that is a given, and any location which cannot accommodate the championship would be out.
My thoughts for the strong city candidates would be the following.
Houston:
Centrally located, and has at least 1 (maybe 2) major airports, plenty of flights in and out, which are affordable. One of America's largest cities ( is the 4th largest city in America) with great infrastructure. Enormous amount of hotels suitable for FIRST participants.
Great teams, and strong volunteer base.
Warm climate suitable for plenty of outdoor activities.
NEARBY: The Johnston Space Center,(incredible and a great educational opportunity) Kemah Boardwalk, (Boardwalk with loads of restaurants, hotels and a few rides(the Beast roller coaster, ferris wheel, etc.) Galveston Island (beach with ocean front hotels and activities) the Houston Museum District, the Aquarium, and too many more to mention.
Possible down side: Understand the walk between Reliant Center and Convention Center is longer than Atlanta or St. Louis.
Dallas: Dallas would be a great venue. Many of the points above are the same as Houston. Dallas has other great educational and fun activities for students and has 2 major airports with plenty of flights. In the Fort Worth area is Six Flags across from the huge Jerry Jones stadium,(which would be a great venue except no convention center nearby) I do not know if there is an existing facility which could really serve FIRST well which is the main issue. I leave that to the experts.
Indianapolis: Centrally located, great venue for the FIRST Championship, Great downtown area with good hotels. Home of the Indy 500 and Indy Museum and Indianapolis Children's Museum, both great facilities.
Downside: It is cold in Indiana this time of year, so outside activities will be limited. Could be very cold and rainy. The airport is good but not large like Houston or Dallas and perhaps not as many flights available. This is an issue needs to be studied to make sure there is enough accommodating flights for the teams. Having said this, Indianapolis is a wonderful city with great, friendly, volunteer oriented people. They understand big events. The Indianapolis 500 is the largest sporting event there is and so the city understands hosting large amounts of people from everywhere.(I know, I lived in the area for 2 years)
St Louis: I have enjoyed St. Louis. It meets most of the original criteria I stated above. One issue seems to have been the unpredictable weather prevents some outdoor activities. I think it has been a great host city, and could continue to be a great venue, but perhaps some folks are ready to try something different and have some new experiences.
I realize there may be some other excellent candidates for host cities I have not mentioned here. I think the best candidates meet the criteria I first stated and perhaps there are other locations I have not mentioned that meet these criteria. Also, it is really important to have the support of the community which the event takes place. I look forward to future FIRST Championships and spending time with the great people who are always there.
