BOILERMAKER comments or suggestions

[roboticsguy1988]

Originally Posted by AmyPrib

Hay All,

Just a few comments. We know that seating was limited. Originally we were told we'd have less than what we did, but we pushed for more. We got it, but unfortunately not enough. That is one thing that will be worked on for next year.
On the other hand, to put a positive twist on it, don't you think it added to the huge energy and excitement that the place had? That place was slammin', people going nuts, yelling, screaming, and it got more intense as days went on, it's hard to get that kind of energy pumpin' with a HUGE arena with people spread out all over. While it may have been standing room only at times, people came together (closely!) and rocked the house!
We tried to get a larger venue (other campus facilities) but were not able for various reasons. It will be worked on next year, and if it has to be held in the Armory again, there can be some setup differences to allow more space or seating. We didn't have a ton of say in the setup, but definitely will look at it for next year. We planned for and expected high attendance but we got even more than that.

We did block off the first row for safety and to keep traffic moving. I personally think that no matter where the teams were sitting in the stands, they were pretty darn close to the action. I think it would have been tough to block off a section up front for playing teams with limited seating as it was. I think that would have caused overall less seating (those teams would already have another section they were sitting in, and then plus a reserved section taking up space they'd be moving back and forth to - spectators and others would have fewer places to sit). We actually had quite a few spectators from off the street that heard about it and attended with young children. I think that's awesome - spreading the word.

The only parking that had distance (1mile) was for the buses and trailers. We just could not accomodate them all in the lot behind the armory, but we did provide shuttle service for bus drivers. The parking garage across the street (1min walk) was reserved and free for everyone attending the event.

We also know the number one complaint was the bathroom facilities. We apologize for this, but we originally had better plans which fell through. This is high on the priority list for improving next year.

I was also shocked at the lack of time for alliance selections, but again that is out of our hands. Many issues are under FIRST control, but we can surely pass on the comments.

The campus tour times - already under discussion to work on better timing. Due to having the Union activities on Thursday evening (which all teams were informed about and confirmed to attend, and numerous announcements were made, but unfortunately few teams attended), we didn't have tours planned for that evening. We wanted to get to as many students as we were able and understand we were not able to accomodate drive teams better. We had good turn-outs for the tours despite that and think it worked out well... I am glad that we had these - I think it showed what Purdue is all about without pushing it on people.

We actually did have a few lines run for electricity in the bleachers, on the west side a couple rows up. But I don't think it was publicized as it was a late addition during the event. How 'bout the wireless internet? Did that work out ok for people?

We appreciate all the postive and negative feedback so far. We strive to make it enjoyable for everyone . The people that helped put this together are all experienced FIRSTers who care about making it a good, fun event. This is why we take your feedback seriously.
Keep them coming, and as Chris said, you can PM him or I with comments.

btw, Dangerousdave - can you give more details about the problems with queuing and pits? That was in your negative list, but not sure exactly the problems?

I am thoroughly impressed with the action packed competition and game-play that went on... I myself was a skeptical about the action involved in this game, but it was fierce this past weekend.

Thanks!

The wireless internet was awesome. I am glad to be able to access the internet at the Boilermaker regional. I know that it was disappointing to not be able to access the internet at other regional events. The only problem i found with that was the signal was weak, especially in the building, outside it was pretty good. may i suggest putting something to boost the signal or maybe even setup a wireless internet router connected to a T1 line if possible... if not even a normal connection to one of purdues servers would be fast enough. I know a lot of people used the internet and appreciated having it. Great job on that.

The only other technical problem i found was the electrical hookups in the pits. The wire supplying power to all the teams in the pits did not seem to be the appropriote guage for the amount of current that was being drawn. However i do have to say that it did stay consistant.

Other than that it looks like you know about the other problems and are working on fixing them for next year. This year was totally awesome and fun. For a rookie regional the planning commitee and everyone else did an excellent job. I give this regional an 8.65 out of 10.

Great job, hope to see everyone back once again next year.

[dangerousdave]

Amy, When I mentioned queuing and the pits I simply meant the space available. One entrance brought spectators right through the pits and the pits just seemed a little cramped to me. Also, our team always brings a cybercenter to allow anyone to use the internet on about 4 PC's. They were left on our bus in the parking lot due to lack of room. The queuing area at the end with concessions was cramped.

However, please read my message again as overall the regional was great!
Dave

[AshleyD]

The internet was GREAT
The ice cream was a good idea
I appreciated the fruit and salad in the conessions
The career/college fair was awesome, it would have been cool to have more booths though if possible
Maybe advertise the tours on the main screen, show exactly what they are. The envision center tour was really cool but I wouldn't have known if one of the college kids helping with it hadn't come up in the stands to get people to go and told us about it.

The team socials need to be advertised better, no one on our team really knew what all was going to be going on at the social so we didn't go. Maybe set up xbox tourney to get more people there, or give away a few games/ geeky stuff.

I know they tried to advertise these a whole lot but there's so much going on that unless it's big, neon, and loud it's easily missed.
Other than that and the other things already posted...it was great!

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by dangerousdave

Amy, When I mentioned queuing and the pits I simply meant the space available. One entrance brought spectators right through the pits and the pits just seemed a little cramped to me. Also, our team always brings a cybercenter to allow anyone to use the internet on about 4 PC's. They were left on our bus in the parking lot due to lack of room. The queuing area at the end with concessions was cramped.

However, please read my message again as overall the regional was great!
Dave

Ok thanks - I know your overall message was positive, we really appreciate it. I just wanted to understand better the issue with the queuing and pits so it could be improved. I wasn't sure if it was an issue with the queuing process, or the space itself, so I just wanted to clarify.
I agree that the entrance/exit area for robots was cramped and I personally wanted that improved. However, the field and event layout was already setup and couldn't really be changed. There were also people collecting around the tv right at the exit of robots, which got really cramped for people going through. I noticed the holding area near concessions was tight as well, and hopefully that can be improved next year (if held in Armory).

The pit sizes remain basically the same between regionals, usually 8 or 10sq ft for each pit and we cannot change that. The layout of the pits was provided by FIRST, although we did try to make suggestions. I am actually happy there was as much room as there was in front of Pit Admin, the center aisle by the garage door, and areas closer to the field. Some places pack you in like sardines - hopefully that wasn't the feeling in the Armory pits.
Thanks again!

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by AshleyD

The team socials need to be advertised better, no one on our team really knew what all was going to be going on at the social so we didn't go. Maybe set up xbox tourney to get more people there, or give away a few games/ geeky stuff.

I know they tried to advertise these a whole lot but there's so much going on that unless it's big, neon, and loud it's easily missed.
Other than that and the other things already posted...it was great!

Ashley,
Thanks for the feedback! We tried to advertise the socials as much as possible, and answer any questions regarding it - the team leaders had full information about it beginning in January and had confirmed team attendance. However during the event, there was some miscommunication w/ information specificially for Thursday nite that was not getting around. Plus the official agenda had not been updated after many requests, so that may have caused some confusion also. If you went to the Friday night dinner, there were people directing the crowds to the after-events. There were many sports activities, and the Dean Simmons band playing was advertised on CD. Actually, congratulations to Team 16 for winning the "WOW Factor" award which was announced at the social - there were several other awards presented on Saturday to the teams who were not in attendance Friday evening. We had a darn good turnout and hopefully everyone had a good time.
We actually gave out a bunch of cool stuff on Friday night - corn shaped stress relievers (just have to see it), frisbees, and word magnets with FIRST related words. We also tossed out some t-shirts during the concert.

Great idea on showing announcements and activities on the big screen - definately something we should implement.
Thanks again!!

[dangerousdave]

Amy, I forgot about those rubber corn cobs. Our team played dodge corn against another team with those in the gym. They lined up about 25 of them at mid-court, said go, and ran for the cobs. Then they let them fly at each other. It was the funniest thing so I had to get it on tape.

The band seemed pretty good also especially for an old guy like me. The students seemed to really enjoy them. I have all of the give-aways you mentioned with me here at home.

I can't say enough about the wonderful dinner Friday night. What a choice of food and drinks! I told about 6 workers thanks and that we really enjoyed it.

Again the whole weekend was fantastic!

Dave

[Amanda Morrison]

Dave,

We're glad you had such a great time! I think you guys may have appreciated the 'corn' more than the local folks.

It was great to have 10 states represented at the regional. We hope you guys will come back!

Amanda

[KORN_lover_2007]

Well, I really have no idea who deals with this, but this is the only place I could find to comment on it. The music selection was absolutely horrible. You had a slow, sappy love song playing right at the beginning of a match. That's not going to get everyone pumped up. You need some rock or something heavy, like what would be played at a football practice right before a game.

Another thing that is kind of going along with what others have said is space. I am on the color guard and I was hoping there would be room somewhere for me to do some flag moves, but the stands were so full I couldn't. Also the bathroom facilities were not fun at all. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but our team kind of had the impression that they were trying to get us to go to most of the buildings at the university so they could get some publicity. That is not my personal opinion, because I think it was great that there was a lot more room in the place where the awards ceremony was held at. These are just some of my opinions and you don't have to pay any attention to them at all if you don't want to.

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by KORN_lover_2007

Well, I really have no idea who deals with this, but this is the only place I could find to comment on it. The music selection was absolutely horrible. You had a slow, sappy love song playing right at the beginning of a match. That's not going to get everyone pumped up. You need some rock or something heavy, like what would be played at a football practice right before a game.
Another thing that is kind of going along with what others have said is space. I am on the color guard and I was hoping there would be room somewhere for me to do some flag moves, but the stands were so full I couldn't. Also the bathroom facilities were not fun at all. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but our team kind of had the impression that they were trying to get us to go to most of the buildings at the university so they could get some publicity. That is not my personal opinion, because I think it was great that there was a lot more room in the place where the awards ceremony was held at. These are just some of my opinions and you don't have to pay any attention to them at all if you don't want to.

The music is not under our control, that is always FIRST. But... at least there was variety, rather than techno all day long.. That's my opinion.

When you talk about going to other buildings on university, do you mean for the bathrooms or in general? If for the bathrooms - we just wanted people to be more comfortable. If in general - we were not trying to push PU in any way on anyone, as we know that pushy advertising isn't cool. We simply had the buildings available for our use, they are awesome facilities (Elliott, Union, CoRec, Dining Hall, EE, all the tours, etc) so we wanted to use them. Sure - we want to show off what Purdue has and is capable of, and even get kids interested in attending there for college. It's a great university especially for engineering and technology. I'm not sure I've ever been to a competition held at a university where they actually show you around, but here you had the option to check it out. Purdue has changed so much in just 4yrs, that I wanted to take some of the tours!!
So hopefully the impression is not that we were trying to brainwash people.. Purdue was kind enough to let us use everything that we did - and thank goodness or who knows where we would have put people for awards ceremonies!

[Dave Scheck]

Amy - all of us from Wildstang had a great time. For being the regional's rookie season, I think that you guys did an awesome job.

My only complaint was that the DJ recycled a lot of the same songs quite often. I think we counted 7 or 8 Cha Cha Slides and 4 or 5 Chicken Dances. I understand that the music is out of your control, and I know it is hard to fill 2 days with music and not repeat, but maybe you can pass the suggestion to the right people.

To you and the regional comittee, thanks for your hard work in planning and running the regional. I can only imagine how you guys will improve it next year.

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by Dave Scheck

Amy - all of us from Wildstang had a great time. For being the regional's rookie season, I think that you guys did an awesome job.

My only complaint was that the DJ recycled a lot of the same songs quite often. I think we counted 7 or 8 Cha Cha Slides and 4 or 5 Chicken Dances. I understand that the music is out of your control, and I know it is hard to fill 2 days with music and not repeat, but maybe you can pass the suggestion to the right people.

To you and the regional comittee, thanks for your hard work in planning and running the regional. I can only imagine how you guys will improve it next year.

Thanks! We can pass the info on, but who knows what will happen with that info. I heard that from a few other people too, that the music was being re-played.. I didn't even notice. But you would think there are easily 25hrs of different music out there. I've got that in my own collection. Glad you guys had a great time... Hopefully Boilermaker can out-do itself next year!

[Amanda Morrison]

Originally Posted by Dave Scheck

My only complaint was that the DJ recycled a lot of the same songs quite often. I think we counted 7 or 8 Cha Cha Slides and 4 or 5 Chicken Dances. I understand that the music is out of your control, and I know it is hard to fill 2 days with music and not repeat, but maybe you can pass the suggestion to the right people.

The suggestion was definitely passed. Originally we had the problem of the music being turned up when people were speaking, and slower songs being played at low volume between matches. This, I think, really affected the mood of the regional on Friday.

Later, once that problem was solved, we had the problem of the music being a little too loud and the same songs repeated. I believe someone found out that the DJ was new to FIRST... yikes.

[Mike AA]

Originally Posted by roboticsguy1988

The wireless internet was awesome. I am glad to be able to access the internet at the Boilermaker regional. I know that it was disappointing to not be able to access the internet at other regional events. The only problem i found with that was the signal was weak, especially in the building, outside it was pretty good. may i suggest putting something to boost the signal or maybe even setup a wireless internet router connected to a T1 line if possible... if not even a normal connection to one of purdues servers would be fast enough. I know a lot of people used the internet and appreciated having it. Great job on that.

The only other technical problem i found was the electrical hookups in the pits. The wire supplying power to all the teams in the pits did not seem to be the appropriote guage for the amount of current that was being drawn. However i do have to say that it did stay consistant.

Other than that it looks like you know about the other problems and are working on fixing them for next year. This year was totally awesome and fun. For a rookie regional the planning commitee and everyone else did an excellent job. I give this regional an 8.65 out of 10.

Great job, hope to see everyone back once again next year.

you couldn't just simply get a T1 hooked up for a 3 day event. It'd cost thousands. I admit the connection was a little weak, I kept getting hooked into the circuit runners or another's wireless ( for scouting). I noticed someone had a hardline run all the way around the building so I'm guessing there was a jack.

Now the wire running power to the pits and everything else was more than sufficient. The wires were 1/0 ( one aught) welding wire capable of nearly 190 amp, running 3 phase ( so in essence about 600 amp capable and the audio video doesn't use much ), then the wire running around to individual pits was at least 12, maybe 10 running to each run, there wasn't really any chance of a problem unless someone was using a welder in there ( a big no no ).

[dubious elise]

Well, apart from the fact that you had quite possibly the greatest band ever playing live at your own team social... the highlights of the event were acess to the sports facility, free wireless internet usage, and, quite possibly the most important aspect ever, you had good food. No, really. The concessions food was awesome; the pork sandwiches and ice cream were amazing and just seeing a huge basket of fresh fruit on the counter absolutely brought a tear to my eye.

My only real complaint would be the huge temperature variations and limited walking/seating space. Going from our pit next to the door where I could wear a coat, up to the top of the stands to watch a match or two, I honestly was so warm I got dizzy. Maybe I was just running around too much and way too excited about 12 things at once, but it was warm and...cozy.

In conclusion, the food was very nice. So were DSKB.

[Elyse Holguin]

I'm a member of Purdue's President's Leadership class, and we all get together on Monday nights and talk with various elite alumni and really cool, successful people, and usually the Jischke's (our president and his wife- really great people) come and join in too.

When I asked Dr. Jischke what he thought about the competition, he said, "It was great, like a rock concert with geeks."

Coming from a man from MIT, I think everyone should take that as a compliment.