I'd like to propose a different focus from a similar thread.
What are some things individuals, teams, and event coordinators can do to make the arriving public have a better experience? I'd rather focus on the things individuals and teams can do because those things can happen nearly immediately.
Consider this scenario: A parent with a younger child who thinks robots are cool, but there has been no exposure to FIRST. The parent hears there are robots down at the arena, and admission is free. That's all they know.
They come in, maybe get handed the program, maybe read it, but likely don't internalize it enough for it to have any lasting effect.
They find the stands, and look for seats. Instead of finding other folks 'like themselves' they find clusters of brightly colored t-shirts, with lots of empty seats between/near them, and maybe a kid or parent telling them not to sit there, those seats are 'saved.' If they come on Saturday PM, they have to head to nosebleed seats or end zone seats.
If they are lucky, they realize or know there are pits to visit-- in some venues pits are in a different hall, not just 'behind the curtain' making them harder to find.
I won't go into understanding the game rules as that issue is well known.
What can you and/or your team do to drastically improve this experience? I think the FIRST Stop idea posted here:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...3&postcount=37 is a huge step in the right direction.
Thoughts?