[dlavery]

Hold your breath, count to ten, and think about this for a minute.

FIRST did one thing right - they have responded to the team's requests, and put this option together and made it available (remember, WE ASKED to have FIRST make something like this available as an option to teams).

FIRST did one thing wrong - they did a horrible job of explaining the cost (i.e. they didn't bother to explain it at all).

Yes, it is $90 per person. But everyone has to realize that $90 covers a heck of a lot more than just pasta and salad. Putting on an event like the wrap party is NOT an inexpensive endeavor. The cost per person has to cover food and drink. But it also has to cover rental of the facility, entertainment costs, facility staff overtime and related personnel costs, emergency medical response support, clean-up and janitorial services, adminsitrative costs, equipment rentals, lighting and support equipment (particularly if it is an outdoor event), and security costs. Particularly in this day and age, security considerations are very real and VERY expensive - that item alone can easily make up over half the cost we are being charged.

Is this cost to attend the event at high end of the spectrum? That is possible, but given the costs I have seen for other very large events I am not so sure that is necessarily the case. Remember - this is a party for 15,000 people which is a whole different scale than many of us are used to. Saying "I can host a gathering of 150 at the local VFW hall for $30 a head, so why can't FIRST do the same?" really isn't applicable.

Is it completely unreasonable? I don't think so.

Is it worth $90 per person for your team to attend the party? That is up to each team to decide.

Could FIRST have done a better job in explaining why the cost is the way it is? You betcha.

-dave