Location Suggestion for 2010 Championship

[Madison]

Originally Posted by IndySam

Yes, but he also said plane tickets alone would be 4 times as much which is absolutely not true.

Ah, didn't see that. From Seattle, flights to Indianapolis, though the they require a layover in most cases, are significantly cheaper than flights to Atlanta. I don't really understand why.

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by Madison

Ah, didn't see that. From Seattle, flights to Indianapolis, though the they require a layover in most cases, are significantly cheaper than flights to Atlanta. I don't really understand why.

Indy is not a major hub for any airline, so no one airline dominates our market. All the majors fly here so there is maximum competition.

[Wayne C.]

Guys we can suggest all we wish but the fact is that FIRST finds Atlanta suitable and convenient and I have heard no inklings of them having the desire to move anywhere else. They have a set procedure with Atlanta, they know all the logistical issues and frankly, I doubt if the management really cares what we want as long at the event comes off smoothly.

Has anyone checked the Georgia Dome booking calendar to see if 2010 is already booked?

Anyone who experienced FIRST at Disney Epcot will tell you that that was THE place to hold it. The reasons are too numerous to go into. I dont accept the "we outgrew it" excuse- the numbers just dont add up. There are other issues that led us away from there we are not privvy to I'm sure. If FIRST and Disney really wanted us there a way would be found to hold the event.

But for now Atlanta is convenient and an easier arrangement. So we live with it. At least it is relatively warm in Atlanta in April.

WC



Addendum: the FIRST Championships will be held in Atlanta 04/14/10 - 04/17/10 as stated in the GWCC calendar. See you there.....?

[nuggetsyl]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

Keep trying to knock down Indianapolis, Sean, but your flight costs are simply NOT TRUE.

I fly out of Indy often and get reasonable rates. Within the past year, I have had these rates:

Indy to Manchester, round trip (1 layover): $180
Indy to Miami, round trip (1 layover): $190
Indy to Vegas, round trip (direct): $200

Also, if anyone flies in and out of Indy now, they will notice a brand new airport. Not a remodeled airport... a new airport that just opened last week.

Indy hosts the NCAA final four every 3-4 years.
Indy hosts the largest single-day sporting event in the world each year (Indy 500, where 300,000 people attend).
Indy will host the NFL Super Bowl in 2012.

If the passenger volumes of incoming and outgoing flights from IND can handle those events, they can handle the FIRST Championships.

Andy B.

This is a simple supply and demand issue. When you have huge events like the super bowl airlines add extra seats(bigger planes or more planes), airlines are not going to do this for first. 3 teams signing up from NJ would take half the seats off the market. Ticket prices would then rise easily $600-$800 a seat. Buying a single ticket from orbitz is not factoring in the demand of a first event.

[ttldomination]

IDk, I like Atlanta, it's nice and easy down here. But I wouldn't mind having it somewhere out west.

[Dan2081]

2 Words...
Peoria, Illinois

[Stu Bloom]

Originally Posted by Dan2081

2 Words...
Peoria, Illinois

WOW Dan ... have you ever been to the Championships? I know Peoria pretty well and there's no way Peoria could handle it .

But seriously ... Indianapolis almost had it when the last contract was renewed with Atlanta. I say come back and look at Indy again - now that the new stadium and more new hotels are open.

[Racer26]

I'm with Karthik, the SkyDome (shoot me if I ever call it the Rogers Centre) and Metro Toronto Convention Center combo COULD definitely support the Championships. The square footage is there. As for you southerners complaining about the weather? Historically speaking, by late April winter is well over, and we see temperatures in around the 10-15 C mark. (In American, thats 50 to 60 degrees)

[Travis Hoffman]

People in Atlanta seeking to build a new Falcons stadium on the grounds of the closed Doraville GM facility [happy thoughts] in suburban (i.e. not downtown) Atlanta:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/cat...PINIONS&isub=2

I wonder what would happen to the Georgia Dome if this were to occur - obviously, it would lose its most notable tenant - I do not know how "booked" the Dome is outside of Falcons home games.

If they blew up the Georgia Dome (Why? It's not that old, is it? Rich getting richer....), I wonder how that would affect Atlanta's chances at retaining the Championship Event long term....

[Steven Sigley]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

People in Atlanta seeking to build a new Falcons stadium on the grounds of the closed Doraville GM facility [happy thoughts] in suburban (i.e. not downtown) Atlanta:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/cat...PINIONS&isub=2

I wonder what would happen to the Georgia Dome if this were to occur - obviously, it would lose its most notable tenant - I do not know how "booked" the Dome is outside of Falcons home games.

If they blew up the Georgia Dome (Why? It's not that old, is it? Rich getting richer....), I wonder how that would affect Atlanta's chances at retaining the Championship Event long term....

In the article you provided it says "The Falcons are bound by a lease to play in the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta through 2020, but team owner Arthur Blank said in 2006 he wanted to start negotiating a new downtown Atlanta stadium."

We'd be good for at least 10 more years before we'd even have to worry about it.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Steven Sigley

In the article you provided it says "The Falcons are bound by a lease to play in the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta through 2020, but team owner Arthur Blank said in 2006 he wanted to start negotiating a new downtown Atlanta stadium."

We'd be good for at least 10 more years before we'd even have to worry about it.

Ask Seattle Supersonics fans what they think about the security of leases. But anyway:

This mentions the possibility of the lease expiring in 2015:

http://www.ajc.com/living/content/me...doraville.html

Seems there are two competing interests - the suburban Doraville stadium supporters and the GWCC people wanting to build a new stadium downtown. Which option Falcons owner Arthur Blank officially backs remains to be seen.

This may be a non-issue if the city of Atlanta can afford to retain the Georgia Dome even with the absence of the Falcons as a tenant, but it's something to keep an eye on, anyway.

[Tetraman]

This may be a little over the top....but wouldn't it be cool if we could build our own FIRST Robotics Grand Stadium? It could hold all the FIRST robotics championship competitions and conventions, it would be the home of the hall of fame and other history making halls. It could also be a special summer camp for FIRST students. I would have it's own hotels for all teams and other sorts of buildings and centers...and don't forget three bronze statues of Woody, Dean and Dave in the courtyard.

A guy can dream....I'll put that on the list of things I'll do before I die...build that building.

[Enigma's puzzle]

If i became incredibly rich one day i would make a convention center arena designed for that. How could the rest of the world ignore FIRST if that happened.

Maybe the New Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, adjacent america's center i like that idea i don't know about hotels though, BUT it doesn't get any closer to the center of the country

[PinionTwister]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

This may be a little over the top....but wouldn't it be cool if we could build our own FIRST Robotics Grand Stadium? It could hold all the FIRST robotics championship competitions and conventions, it would be the home of the hall of fame and other history making halls. It could also be a special summer camp for FIRST students. I would have it's own hotels for all teams and other sorts of buildings and centers...and don't forget three bronze statues of Woody, Dean and Dave in the courtyard.

A guy can dream....I'll put that on the list of things I'll do before I die...build that building.

AMEN!!! If would be great to have our own stadium - purpose built for Robotics competition. I will hope for my lifetime as well.

[Macdaddy549]

My suggestion is Disney. I attended the 2001 event and the atmosphere was electric. Much more than the Championships since. The pits and the playing fields were not far away from each other. That meant for an easy transition from the field to the pit. You have to admit that it's a VERY long walk. With this great distance it's hard to go back and forth. Also the venue is much to big. It doesn't have that closeness like the regionals. Let's get away from these giant 70,000 seat stadiums. You only need seating for 15,000 at the most. That's my 2cents.