I went to buckeye for the first (hahah) last year and had an AWESOME time. The venue is great, the pit area is spacious and has some room to breathe (and practice) on the far end of the floor. The indoor stadium works very well for this event, and seems to be sized about right for it.
Last year... I'd say this regional had THE best team social... how can you beat a science museum only open to FIRSTers? Kind of bummed that they arent going to the science museum this year... but I hear the rock and roll hall of fame is pretty cool.
Just be aware... last year at least the inspectors were really really tight on the rules. For example, I was carrying a spare frame rail for our shooter bot last year that I had made since the robot was shipped... wasn't so much for spare parts as it was to show off to people... I was pretty proud of it... looked fancy and all.
It had two parts to it... the main part with a track tensioner that slides into the end... The lady wouldnt let me in with the two pieces slid together... because it was assembled parts!
And, after i slid them apart and showed her, i slid them back together and started to walk in... but she didnt let me do that either... so in frustration i held them apart in my hands, walked backwards facing her, crossed the magic line of tape, and slid them back together.... thats the one and only time i've been annoyed by an inspector... anybody else think she was being a little extreme?
*sigh* well... i guess this year we got some spare parts too... couple boxes of spare gussets in case of broken welds and another box with enough parts to build a whole nother elevator if need be...
-q