Let's talk about venues...

[RunawayEngineer]

SFL was the smallest regional that I have been to and I liked that the seating was really close to the action - arenas don't have the luxury of positioning the seating.
One of the coolest parts about the venue was that it was hosted in a convention center at the same time as other events - which meant that there were passersby who could just walk in and see what was happening. I have unconfirmed reports that people were skipping out on their seminars to watch robots instead. It was one of the few venues that naturally brought in new people.

[Conor Ryan]

I'm doing this in math.

Convention Centers:
Knoxville Convention Center > DECC (Duluth, MN) > Javits Center

Arenas/Colleges:
Gordon Fieldhouse (RIT) = Wolstein Center (Cleveland) > Agganis (Boston) > Cal U (pittsburgh, ex location) > Sun National Bank Center (Trenton, used to be Sovereign Bank) > Temple U > Kettering U> Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh) > Drexel U ≈ Rutgers

High Schools:
Monty Madness, I'm biased > Mt Olive > Ramp Riot = Horsham > Clifton

But lets be honest, the real winner is Epcot.
Champ Venues:
Epcot on a Launch Day > Epcot > Edward Jones (although I heard the Rams are lobbying for a new venue) > Georgia Dome > Astrodome ≈ Older Champ Venues

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by Conor Ryan

Champ Venues:
Epcot on a Launch Day > Epcot

That's right. You found the only thing to beat Epcot.

I have the best memories of that. Opening ceremonies just STOPPED, and we all turned away from the stage to watch. Absolute silence until we couldn't see it anymore. (Or at least, that's how I remember it.)

[Lil' Lavery]

I guess I'm the only one who didn't really like the Halsey Field House/Annapolis reigonal as a venue.

[Alan Anderson]

I'm saddened that the Crossroads Regional at Rose-Hulman isn't continuing. The pit area was huge, and even with a full-size practice field there was still plenty of room for random recreation. The arena access was convenient. The seating capacity was perhaps a little low, though, and some teams told me getting food was a bit of a hassle (as a volunteer, I didn't have that problem).

Originally Posted by Richard Wallace

Two of my favorite venues are Lawrence North High School, and the old Armory at Purdue. Both of them have filled close to capacity with great people every time I have been there.

I notice that both of those locations have an auditorium with a stage and comfortable seating.


Without the amazing people, the Purdue armory would drop closer to the bottom of the list. As a venue, it was pretty poor.

[AJCaliciuri]

I've been to the majority of Regionals in Canada and the venue I like the most is the University of Waterloo.

They have the pits in the same large gymnasium as the field, separated by the giant projection screen, making the walk between the stands and the pits very short. They have loading doors right into the pit area. The food court is maybe a minute walk away from the gym.

The loading area is in a small parking lot, which can be problematic, but is the only issue I have with the venue.

All around, a great venue with a very helpful and supportive group of volunteers who do a great job every year!

If I'm putting in my two cents for favourite Champs venue, having only been to two (Atlanta & St. Louis), I'd have to choose St. Louis. Better loading, shorter walking distances, shorter robot commutes to the field, and better selection of food around downtown.

[BriteBacon]

One of my favorite venues is the GVSU field house for the West Michigan District. It has plenty of seating, enough area in the pits, plus they pit rookie teams around more experienced teams. Another plus is that there are nice bathrooms.

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by BriteBacon

One of my favorite venues is the GVSU field house for the West Michigan District. It has plenty of seating, enough area in the pits, plus the pit rookie teams around more experienced teams. Another plus is that there are nice bathrooms.

I came here to say this as well. I always try to make it out to the West Michigan District even if my team isn't there. I just absolutely love the venue, the teams, and the people.

As for smaller district venues, I was a huge fan of Parker Middle School (where the Howell District was this year). I was volunteering on the field, but there seemed to be plenty of seating and the pits seemed good as well.

[indubitably]

My favorite venue would have to be the Rose-Hulman Sports and Recreation Center that hosts the Crossroads Regional.

I love the fact that there is seating on both sides of the field and easily accessible standing room at the top of the bleachers. The pits and practice area were extremely large and the walk is short and nice from the parking lots.

[Mrcope9]

I have to say, the best venue is the George R Brown in downtown Houston. It's one of the largest convention centers in the US and has several halls capable of hosting a large regional. Even though I have never been with my team, i visited for the 2012 Lone Star Regional. I must say, the venue did a fine job. Another HUGE selling point is the fact that there are several hotels and numerous restaurants in walking distance around the Discovery Green Park. Downtown Houston is an excellent spot to host a regional. For more info, just search for a nice map of downtown. It's high on our list.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by Richard Wallace

Two of my favorite venues are Lawrence North High School, and the old Armory at Purdue. Both of them have filled close to capacity with great people every time I have been there.

I'd have to disagree with the Armory, and I'm a Purdue Alum. While I love going back to my alma mater, I the bathroom situation is a dealbreaker. I do like the concept of smaller venues though. Events in them tend to be more exciting and have more energy than the events in large arenas.

[Jon Stratis]

I'd definitely have to say the DECC in Duluth. Where else can you find 120 teams under one roof? Two regionals, happening at once, with pits a short 10 second walk down the hall from each other and fields positioned back to back. The seats are a little high... but I've only ever been up in them once so it doesn't bother me much. Plus the hotel I usually stay at has free smores for us when we get back after a long day at the event!

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Hershey Centre (GTR West up to 2013) the only arena setup that got it right far as I'm concerned. They put it in the middle of the arena instead of slamming tight up one side. The seperate pits work fine though waterever the heck is under that bridge badly needed to be cleaned up. It smelled like something died under there

The Hershey Centre is good: thousands of comfortable seats, and room for up to two full fields on the arena floor with plenty of space for queues and good (but long) sightlines. It's a hockey arena, which accounts for its capacity, and the smell in certain corners. When the event takes place on ice, the floor can be too cold for comfort; when the floor is drained, the concrete is fine. Ever since the renovations several years ago, having pits in one of the practice arenas has been very convenient, without disrupting the local hockey schedule too much. There's sufficient room for over 70 teams in this configuration. Ample parking is right outside the venue, and is free.

Originally Posted by AJCaliciuri

I've been to the majority of Regionals in Canada and the venue I like the most is the University of Waterloo.

They have the pits in the same large gymnasium as the field, separated by the giant projection screen, making the walk between the stands and the pits very short. They have loading doors right into the pit area. The food court is maybe a minute walk away from the gym.

The loading area is in a small parking lot, which can be problematic, but is the only issue I have with the venue.

Waterloo is nice, because the pits are right beside the field, and the steep angle of the seating makes for a good view all over the arena. It would make a very good district venue...but it's at the lower limit of capacity for a regional, mainly because of the very limited space for pits. You can cram 30 teams in there, but with compromises on pit and practice space. The seating is composed of old-fashioned folding bleachers, which aren't the most comfortable things all day long, and external power is needed for the pits.

Originally Posted by MrTechCenter

To be quite honest, I don't really like any of the three NorCal regional venues.

The SJSU Event Center isn't fantastic. The proximity of the main pits and field is nice, but the auxiliary pit is poorly ventilated and quite confined by comparison. It needs about 150 more seats, but they can't be unfolded (because the field wouldn't fit—it's already quite tight), or can't be usefully occupied (because they overlook the pits).

[dag0620]

To get back to some of the oringal questions:

Originally Posted by Steven Donow

What matters in a venue (ie. size, 'glam', accessibility, etc...)?

Depends on what you are really looking for out of an event. At the district level, accessibility is key. As you get up in level, the 'glam' becomes more imporant. Personally I think the 'glam' factor is always something that needs to be looked at in a venue, however I know that is something not everyone would agree with me on.

Originally Posted by Steven Donow

Also, the main question I'm wondering about, with the further shift to districts, should a lesser 'production quality' of an even be expected at the region/district/state championship?

As we make the shift, in my opinion we should be expecting, and holding district leadership to keep the same production quality at the district championship events that we have seen at regional events.

With that said, I don't think we will see that based on trends. District Championship events year 1 are basically run and executed as a regional event. However year 2, HQ stops supporting those events in the way they did the first year, loosing things such as ShowReadyEvents, Sargent Productions, and other things that keep the production value high.

If you look at both Michigan and MAR, production value of their championship events dropped drastically after year 1, with MAR taking a bigger drop. We'll see where things go with PNW and NE this year. I don't know much about PNW, but as for NE, I see things heading in a similar, but sad direction.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by dag0620

If you look at both Michigan and MAR, production value of their championship events dropped drastically after year 1, with MAR taking a bigger drop. We'll see where things go with PNW and NE this year. I don't know much about PNW, but as for NE, I see things heading in a similar, but sad direction.

No, FiM for the DCMP actually increased production quality from the 2009 one.