Brazil's International Invitational

[Guilherme]

Greetings!

I would like to invite all teams to our International Invitational!

Even if you feel your team cannot attend, please pass the word along to team members.

What: Brazil's International Invitational

When: friday and Saturday, May 26-27, 2006
2:00 PM - 9:00PM

Where: GLOBALTECH Science and Innovation Fair
FIERGS Exhibition Center
Av. Assis Brasil, 8787 - Bairro: Sarandi
Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Event website: www.brfirst.org/en

Registrations: free, support for International teams (tickets, travel, costs average per person, ...)
Guilherme Balbinot
FIRST Brazil Senior Mentor
gbalbinot@brfirst.org

Contact: Ivan Jorge Boesing
FIRST Regional Director
boesing@brfirst.org

Last year pictures of the event can be found in http://www.brfirst.org/galeria/thumb...5&lang=english

The venue is a modern Convention Center (the best in Latin America).

We will provide assistance/advice regarding your trip and lodging. There're high schools from Newark (NJ) already confirmed to attend this event. Please contact us for further information. School board permission, advices, trip planning and other details please contact teams #75 and #555, they attended the event last year.

If you are interested, please let us know so we can do our best to have you here with us.

Regards

[Liz Smith]

I had an amazing time in Brazil last year! I suggest everyone to consider attending this event. It was a wonderful experience. Our host teams were great. and it was a whole lot of fun! Feel free to PM me with any questions on what it was like to go down there.

[Adam Shapiro]

If you think there is the slightest chance you can go to this event by all means do! It is an amazing experience that you certainly will not forget. (Not to mention the robot house!) We had a really wonderful time down there, and you get to show off your robot and what your team can do to thousands and thousands of Brazilian students, government officials, and technology enthusiasts. As said before, please PM Pika1579 or myself if you'd like any information at all. I guarantee you'll love the trip.

[Rick TYler]

Sounds like a terrific program and I wish we could make it. Have fun!

[David55]

Wow that looks pretty cool.
Is that an official field (with the field controllers)?
And how many brazillian teams are there?


David

[Liz Smith]

Originally Posted by David55

Wow that looks pretty cool.
Is that an official field (with the field controllers)?
And how many brazillian teams are there?


David

Yes, a field was sent down, it was like a normal off season competition. The only thing was that there were only about 8 teams there (6 Brazilian and 2 American I believe)... making the time between that match and your next match approximately um... 0. It was great time though!

[YonZ]

last year 8 teams showed up, many more rookie brazillians this year... they held a pilot in israel in 05 with 12 teams, If they managed to send a field down, run an offseason event smoothly, etc-- i think it's time there was a brazillian regional, to add to the list with USA, Canada, Israel.
After Brazil, England
(Then Japan but they could get like uberrobomentors and sponsors and tech and dominate)

[Adam Shapiro]

Originally Posted by YonZ

i think it's time there was a brazillian regional, to add to the list with USA, Canada, Israel.

That was part of the reasoning for last year's exhibition I believe. We were working to gain more support throughout Brazil for FIRST, enabling funding for many more teams and to promote holding a regional in Brazil. I believe there was even discussion of holding two regionals down there, although it is somewhat challenging to get the robots through customs each way as we learned. I am very impressed with the Brazilian teams' abilities to get their robots to competitions in the US on time.

[JVGazeley]

Would love to come but I'm pretty sure that's during our Exams... Sorry.

[anna~marie]

Oh!! That looks super exciting!

[Guilherme]

Originally Posted by Pika1579

Yes, a field was sent down, it was like a normal off season competition. The only thing was that there were only about 8 teams there (6 Brazilian and 2 American I believe)... making the time between that match and your next match approximately um... 0. It was great time though!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed our event lat year!

This year we'll have 15 to 20 teams. American teams from Newark and (hopefully) Chicago. We have the pricing from the event organization travel agency for a flight depaturing from New York City:
Flight: TAM Airlines, $884 + boarding taxes
Hotel (Sheraton style): $70 per day including breakfast (double room for 2).
Food and transfer to places is not a issue, the relation is 2 for 1 for our currency, you can eat the most delicious brazilian barbecue for only $10

[Liz Smith]

Originally Posted by Joe

Iyou can eat the most delicious brazilian barbecue for only $10

Ohh.... Brazilian barbecue! So... much... food! Needless to say I did NOT participate in any of my team's food eating contests. Think, all you can eat buffet with lots of good meats!

[Adam Shapiro]

Originally Posted by Joe

you can eat the most delicious brazilian barbecue for only $10

I'd have to say that competing with John Park at those barbecues was a big mistake I would also need to point out the US's tremendous need of RodoPizzas!!!!

[yodameister]

Any hints about getting the robot there? Costs? Customs?

[Adam Shapiro]

Originally Posted by yodameister

Any hints about getting the robot there? Costs? Customs?

I'm not sure on the costs as last year's expenses were largely paid for by the sponsors of the event. Our robot made it through customs alright, as did 75's. Unfortunately two of the Brazilian teams ran into difficulties and didn't get theirs in time for the event. We did however run into trouble in trying to get the robot back to the US, and didn't actually get it back at the school until early July! Please don't let this be a discouragement though. The event is an amazing, once in a lifetime experience and is definitely worth it. I'm sure there is also much support from the event sponsors again this year.