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Unread 03-09-2014, 19:59
BrendanB BrendanB is offline
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Re: [FRC Blog] 2015 Events are Being Posted!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Francis-134 View Post
I find your comment most perplexing. First, I would assume that the NEFIRST committee is not just blind-picking events, but is doing homework on where to put them. It is their job to find a suitable location, taking into account a number of factors, and I would hesitate to assume they failed in this capacity.

Additionally, the facility held a 60 team, two day event only 4 months ago. The venue seating is likely large enough, and there is ample hotel space within 15 minutes of WPI.

Can you elaborate on how you think the facility would not be able to hold the event? What specifically do you think would make the facility unable to accommodate a DCMP?
I believe that what many of us are concerned about at WPI primarily is centered around the pit area of WPI. I've been to Battlecry since 2008 and have been a spectator at the WPI regional.

The renovation in 2012 really helped open up the spectator seating in 2013 making it a much more comfortable venue although the seating is a little shallow making the walking aisle a blockade for spectators but that's not a huge issue.

Food wise there isn't as much within immediate walking distance. There were several concession stands around the concourse of the arena in Boston plus many restaurants within two blocks. There are food choices around but less immediately inside the venue and again within several blocks of the Harrington arena. Even once you exit the campus you have to go a few blocks for a few restaurants and sub shops. In the past BC has done a BBQ on the first night with box lunches on day two coupled with a small snack area. I'd be interested to hear if there are plans to bring in extra food. Food trucks?!

The pits are a pretty awkward shape being a right triangle giving you a good amount of square footage just in a very odd formation for 10'x10" pits plus aisles. Over the past few events many teams had a hard time exiting their pits (sometimes through other pits so I've heard) and navigating through traffic since a majority of the teams are using a common aisle whereas a standard hockey arena can have three long aisles running front to back and one on each end connecting them to spread the traffic out.

To fit in the extra teams there is the small loading dock area which is where our pit was setup in 2013 (this year we were in the main room) which hasn't had the best of setups over the past two years to again fit a 10'x10' pit plus walking area. Last year we had to keep our pit stuff shallow so carts could maneuver around us and this year they had a new layout that looked tighter.

There is no cell service in the pits which is a huge downside unless you are one of the lucky higher numbered teams in the loading dock area which gets cell service.

The low ceilings in both rooms add to the feeling of claustrophobia and make it feel smaller/louder. The only other event I've competed at with ceilings so low was Bash at the Beach when the pits were in hallways.

I have big concerns for the pits being able to handle a large event like the District Championship. I know team wise WPI has hosted a 60 team event however very few teams had all of their team members plus families in attendance. There were no school tours/public audience like we saw this past year. We had a group of 30 school kids outside our pit for 15 minutes one day. With one common aisle at the DCMP any crowd will shutdown a majority of the pits and the main walkway to the field.

Travel wise WPI is a much better venue to host teams. Hotels in and around Boston were very expensive and far away from the venue. We ended up canceling our hotel reservation because we were staying 30 minutes away (where reasonable prices were) and we decided that leaving an hour and a half earlier to beat the traffic into Boston (another plus about WPI) was worth saving some money.

Load in will be easier at WPI!

I do not mean to come off sounding negative towards NEFIRST, WPI, or the volunteers who have put on Battlecry/WPI Regionals/District. They have all been fantastic events like no other I've attended. I'm just mostly concerned about what happens when the robots aren't on the field and the traffic jam in the tiny pits since the DCMP attracts more bodies in the door compared to what WPI has seen. There are many positives to moving the venue to WPI.

Just some thoughts and I know the event committee will do their best to tackles these problems however I know many of them cannot be fixed due to the venue itself.
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Last edited by BrendanB : 03-09-2014 at 21:39.
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