Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Amanda Morrison
Why shouldn't FIRST be looking for the cheapest facilities? Aren't we, as customers, entitled to getting our money's worth? I really like Disney. I haven't been back since 2002. But I really like being able to afford going to the championships every year, and not having an arm and a leg ripped off just to pay for my hotel room. Robotics aside, Disney is not a cheap place as it is. How many of this year's Championship teams could afford Atlanta, but not Disney?
I don't think it's FIRST responsibility to find a venue with all the bells and whistles that it could possibly have. It is, however, FIRST's responsibility to create a fun championship event, and do everything possible to make it worth the money we pay to them for these events. I did not attend Houston, but I have been to Atlanta the past two years, and I can say that FIRST made it well worth the money to attend (or else, why would I go?). Does it have to be Disney to be a great event? No. It would be fun, but it's not imperative we move it back there.
|
I'm going to throw in my $3.17 (that's 2 cents adjusted for inflation with the result in 1982 dollars):
I did not attend the '03 Houston Championships, but I was in Atlanta in '04 and '05, as well as in EPCOT in '02. Both EPCOT and the Georgia Dome have their ups and downs as far as venues for Championships. And I had a great time at both venues.
While I agree that FIRST should be seeking a low-cost city in order to keep the competition affordable for teams, you're going to get more in terms of FIRST's growth and popularity if you hold it in a popular, high-cost city. Lots of people go to Disney on vacation, but let's face facts here -- who goes to Atlanta, unless it's for business or to see family in the area? Okay, the Olympics were there in 1996, but far more people have heard of the Olympics than have heard of FIRST.
Imagine this: you've never heard of FIRST, and you're on vacation with your family at Disney. The day your family decides to go to EPCOT, you see thousands of kids your age in colorful shirts plastered with buttons running around the park. You find out what's going on, check out some of the competition. You're so impressed with and excited by what you see that you say, "I want to do this!" When you get home, you tell all your friends, and try to start a FIRST team at your school. Or you're a teacher on vacation and you see the same thing.
Now, can you see someone going to Atlanta, and just happening to take a tour of the Georgia Dome that day? It's likely, but not nearly as likely as it would be at a more popular vacation spot.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for affordable venues. But are we more likely to get the message of FIRST out if we have our Championship Event in a place like New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles, or a place like Indianapolis, Kansas City, or Baltimore?
(Before you complain to me -- I've been to Indianapolis, and Baltimore, and I like them both. I'm just saying they're not popular leisure travel destinations.)
There's a tradeoff that must be addressed. Personally, I feel that teams should be able to afford to compete in the Championship Event if they so desire... the message of FIRST can be spread by us FIRSTies telling all our friends and family about how addictive and fun this is. But most people do not know any FIRSTies. So how do we address this? I'm not entirely sure. What are your thoughts?
As a FIRST addict, I certainly agree that we should be apologizing to New York City and telling them we're going to have our Championship Event in Paris in 2012. As a realist, I know that this isn't going to be possible until FIRST becomes more popular and achieves the sports-like status that Dean Kamen originally envisioned. That's going to take work.
-Tom