Let's talk about venues...

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by MooreteP

WPI, especially since the renovation.

Comfortable bleachers on both sides, natural light filtering in, great outdoor spaces to relax and play in right outside, terrific food choices.

Production by the WPI Sound & Light crew is outstanding. BattleCry is one of the oldest and best Off Season competitions. You can see how creative they are at 4:30 in this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yWq...tH3hUljz8wc_Vw

I'm sorry, but I so disagree with WPI. I love the A/V setup they have, and how BattleCry always ends up being a big sprawling-across-campus event, but it just seems like such an awkwardly-shaped venue to me.

Disclaimer: I'm a grad student there, so I see campus life a lot and use that gym area (where one floor is marked as 'robot pits' all year round) but I've also only been to BattleCry and not the actual WPI district.

When I went to BattleCry this May, the pits were cramped and tiny. I was immensely uncomfortable just walking through them. Is there a difference between the pit layout for BC vs. for the district? I sincerely hope someone can prove me wrong on this.

My favorite venue, of course, will always be Epcot. Sorry, I had to.

[IndySam]

I would have to say that the Purdue Armory is the worst venue I have been to. That being said, the wonderful volunteers make it an amazing event.

I love the Knoxville Convention Center home of the Smoky Mountain Regional.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Libby K

I'm sorry, but I so disagree with WPI. I love the A/V setup they have, and how BattleCry always ends up being a big sprawling-across-campus event, but it just seems like such an awkwardly-shaped venue to me.

Disclaimer: I'm a grad student there, so I see campus life a lot and use that gym area (where one floor is marked as 'robot pits' all year round) but I've also only been to BattleCry and not the actual WPI district.

When I went to BattleCry this May, the pits were cramped and tiny. I was immensely uncomfortable just walking through them. Is there a difference between the pit layout for BC vs. for the district? I sincerely hope someone can prove me wrong on this.

My favorite venue, of course, will always be Epcot. Sorry, I had to.

I'm glad you said it first. I was at BC as well and it was a miserable experience. The pits are humid and have worse cell signal than some faraday cages I've been in. They are also DARK and feel oppressive.

The stands are sprawling and I feel like I was a mile away while watching the matches.

[George C]

Calgary. The Olympic Oval could hold several regionals and is a beautiful facility. Food services are great. If anything, the individual pits aisles are too wide - too much walking to get from one side to the other. Each pit was also 10' x 15'. Machine shop was very well placed. Parking is a challenge.

Ruckus. The retired armoury is super. Lots of room

[dag0620]

Originally Posted by Libby K

I'm sorry, but I so disagree with WPI. I love the A/V setup they have, and how BattleCry always ends up being a big sprawling-across-campus event, but it just seems like such an awkwardly-shaped venue to me.

Disclaimer: I'm a grad student there, so I see campus life a lot and use that gym area (where one floor is marked as 'robot pits' all year round) but I've also only been to BattleCry and not the actual WPI district.

When I went to BattleCry this May, the pits were cramped and tiny. I was immensely uncomfortable just walking through them. Is there a difference between the pit layout for BC vs. for the district? I sincerely hope someone can prove me wrong on this.

My favorite venue, of course, will always be Epcot. Sorry, I had to.

Pit map is from the 2014 WPI District Event here. https://www.dropbox.com/s/52xf9sc3ud...2014_Final.pdf

While it wasn't quite as bad, a 40 team district is still really at the max comfort level for the venue in my opinion. BattleCry last year was beyond the limits of what it could handle. The pits were sprawling, overcrowded, and there were some pits that had no easy way of accessing from the pits entrance. Plus there is no way teams will ever have a 10X10 pit at that venue.

Don't get me wrong, WPI people know how to run an event, and put on a show. However at the end of the day, thats representative of WPI's stellar planning committee, and LnL, not the venue itself. I agree with Libby in that I don't see why people think it is such a great venue. The fact that rumors have been flying around that some larger events will be moving to WPI does have me slightly concerned...

[Kris Verdeyen]

Already mentioned in this thread, but I agree -

Lone Star/George R Brown Convention Center - I'm a big proponent of convention centers hosting regionals - lots of hotels, usually places to walk to, lots of space for pits and practice.

Crossroads/RHIT Fieldhouse - This might rival the convention center concept - the fieldhouse has a huge area for pits, with the track making a natural warning track, so that people walking through the area don't need to be hassled about safety glasses. Also, the field is totally enclosed, with a wall between it and the pits, and just one notch too small for the number of teams there, which means that it gets loud.

Not mentioned yet -
Bayou regional ca 2007 / New Orleans Convention Center - Huge area for practice, walkable to hotels and restaurants. Walkablity is nice, because it leads to more interactions between teams outside of the venue, and just simplifies logistics. I think they may have moved this to get the HS students away from Bourbon Street, though.

San Antonio Regional / Henry B Gonzales Convention Center - Same convention center benefits, big pits, lots of seating, downtown in an amazing city, etc, etc. This place could be a future contender for Championships.

[ChuckDickerson]

Originally Posted by Kris Verdeyen

Bayou regional ca 2007 / New Orleans Convention Center - ... I think they may have moved this to get the HS students away from Bourbon Street, though.

Bayou is now at the Lake Pontchartrain Center (http://www.pontchartraincenter.com) in Kenner closer to the airport. It is still a fantastic venue and has a great hotel attached next door.

[Lil' Lavery]

Speaking in generalizations, the logistics of convention centers is great (lots of space, nearby hotels & entertainment, etc), the atmosphere and crowd experience is traditionally lacking compared to basketball/hockey arenas. Arenas tend to have more seating, more comfortable seating, better sightlines, and have a more amped atmosphere. There are exceptions either way (I'd take the DC convention center over the Patriot Center in a heartbeat), but after attending quite a few events, I'd say it's a pretty good rule of thumb.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Speaking in generalizations, the logistics of convention centers is great (lots of space, nearby hotels & entertainment, etc), the atmosphere and crowd experience is traditionally lacking compared to basketball/hockey arenas. Arenas tend to have more seating, more comfortable seating, better sightlines, and have a more amped atmosphere. There are exceptions either way (I'd take the DC convention center over the Patriot Center in a heartbeat), but after attending quite a few events, I'd say it's a pretty good rule of thumb.

^this.

[MooreteP]

Originally Posted by Libby K

I'm sorry, but I so disagree with WPI. I love the A/V setup they have, and how BattleCry always ends up being a big sprawling-across-campus event, but it just seems like such an awkwardly-shaped venue to me.

When I went to BattleCry this May, the pits were cramped and tiny. I was immensely uncomfortable just walking through them. Is there a difference between the pit layout for BC vs. for the district? I sincerely hope someone can prove me wrong on this.

My favorite venue, of course, will always be Epcot. Sorry, I had to.

I didn't mention the Pits, which are not great by any stretch of the imagination.
But the production is top notch.
When I was referring to the renovation, I meant that they could use both sets of bleachers.
I remember when they revealed the plans for the new Sports and Recreation Center with its "Robot pits" and I was quite pleased. In reality, not so good.

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

I'm glad you said it first. I was at BC as well and it was a miserable experience. The pits are humid and have worse cell signal than some faraday cages I've been in. They are also DARK and feel oppressive.

The stands are sprawling and I feel like I was a mile away while watching the matches.

I find the stands to be very amenable. There is room to dance in the space between the upper and lower bleachers. There not a mile away (Sig Figs) but there is more space between the field and the stands, which is nice compared to some venues where the audience traffic can be difficult.

Miserable seems a strong descriptor here, but I would love to hear about the other Faraday cages you have been in.

[pastelpony]

I liked the Connecticut Convention Center before New England went to districts. Though, my favorite venue would have to be the Agganis Arena in Boston (team was there for the NECMP back in April.)

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by MooreteP

I didn't mention the Pits, which are not great by any stretch of the imagination.
But the production is top notch.
When I was referring to the renovation, I meant that they could use both sets of bleachers.
I remember when they revealed the plans for the new Sports and Recreation Center with its "Robot pits" and I was quite pleased. In reality, not so good.



I find the stands to be very amenable. There is room to dance in the space between the upper and lower bleachers. There not a mile away (Sig Figs) but there is more space between the field and the stands, which is nice compared to some venues where the audience traffic can be difficult.

Miserable seems a strong descriptor here, but I would love to hear about the other Faraday cages you have been in.

I feel we have very different goals when it comes to bleachers. I like to watch robots not dance. I feel that the shallow angle of the bleachers, while helpful for dancing, is detrimental to all seats being good for watching robots.

Other faraday cages I've been in were the room 79 used to do kickoff in at Honeywell. While not TECHNICALLY a faraday cage it was fairly effective at removing all cell signal by virtue of its construction. My old lab in Tampa had the same issue. That lab used rebar reinforcement with 18" on a side squares for REASONS I'm fairly certain Honeywell used similar construction for similar reasons. We kept the door open in hope of having some cell signal in there. However, closing the door removed all signal.

Miserable is, in my opinion, the appropriate description. I found the pits to be humid (I lived in FL for 3 years, still found them humid), cramped, dark, echoey, and reeking of chlorine. I've been in a LOT of venues, I can't think of another venue that has worse pits than WPI.

[Foster]

Ramp Riot at the home school for Miss Daisy. It has two levels, pits and field at the lower level, upper level has great seating and close up views of the activity. The pits are well spaced so you can move around. Bonus is lots of bathrooms close by and the concession stand is 50 feet from the arena door.

Second favorite is the Naval Academy at Annapolis. It's huge, lots of seating, great pit space. Plus it's on the Academy Grounds. Plus it's in Annapolis, with all the great places to eat. Hotel space was good also, with lots of inexpensive rooms since it was "off season" for Annapolis.

[brndn]

I liked the Virginia Regional's layout at the VCU Siegel Center in Richmond. There are three sections of pits that hug three of the sides of the playing field yet the venue is large enough to have plenty of good seating on the remaining side. The size of the arena makes it feel a lot less cramped than other venues. SBPLI at Hofstra has a similar layout but is a tad smaller.

[MooreteP]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

I feel we have very different goals when it comes to bleachers. I like to watch robots not dance. I feel that the shallow angle of the bleachers, while helpful for dancing, is detrimental to all seats being good for watching robots.

Other faraday cages I've been in were the room 79 used to do kickoff in at Honeywell. While not TECHNICALLY a faraday cage it was fairly effective at removing all cell signal by virtue of its construction. My old lab in Tampa had the same issue. That lab used rebar reinforcement with 18" on a side squares for REASONS I'm fairly certain Honeywell used similar construction for similar reasons. We kept the door open in hope of having some cell signal in there. However, closing the door removed all signal.

Miserable is, in my opinion, the appropriate description. I found the pits to be humid (I lived in FL for 3 years, still found them humid), cramped, dark, echoey, and reeking of chlorine. I've been in a LOT of venues, I can't think of another venue that has worse pits than WPI.

Thank you for the thoughtful response.

My favorite Faraday Cage is the one next to the Van de Graaff generators at the Boston Museum of Science. I would pay to sit in there during a discharge.

While "dancing" isn't the goal of FIRST, I have been to some events at WPI where the energy was quite high.

I guess for comparison, we could look at Agannis Arena, where the steep angle of the seating makes for great viewing, but half of the teams are relegated to the end zones, where the field configuration blocks the view.
WPI doesn't have this issue.

I'll still pick WPI, though some of that is due to nostalgia.

Pits = miserable, yeah, but I prefer below average. (Sig Figs)