[Al Skierkiewicz]

Everyone,
The LRI at your event knows what teams are under a crunch based on their ability to be inspected or compete in one of the early matches. Those teams are usually given the ability to stay and work to insure all teams have a full alliance when they compete.
That said, local and Champs event planners spend a great deal of time trying to get important people to opening ceremonies or to speak at these events. The desire is to get movers and shakers to recognize what we already know to be true. As such, a maximum number of participants carries more weight with these people. Also, if you took some critical time out of your day to speak at a high school robotics event, you expect that the attendees would show you some respect and listen to what you have to say. If you missed opening ceremonies at Champs, you missed a double amputee tell you about the challenges he has overcome and the upbeat outlook he has on your future. If you missed opening at Midwest, you missed listening to the Turkish national anthem sung by the students who traveled thousands of miles to attend in Chicago.