I had a question about how a team goes on to prepare themselves learning that they are qualified to go to the nationals.
My team probably won’t make it that far, but it is not a bad idea, I think, to just be aware of what will happen if we pull this off this year.
I had a couple questions:
Do we have to let FIRST know on Saturday of the competition? (Something as vague as a thumbs up or down)
The money has to be in my April 10th, is this true?
How hard would it be to find hotel/airfare the last minute? (I guess I could ask mentors this too, but I thought a lot of you had to do this specifically for Atlanta for this competition)
Since it is such a short notice, would 4 students and 1 mentor suffice? (We know we can locally but we are not aware of the dynamics of the nationals competition)
I guess the first task at hand is to really work hard and win the regional, but I can’t say any of that, especially as a second year team… But we can set high goals and expectations, and these are just some of the things I wanted to know about.
In the way of hotel you may have some problems with getting one at the last minuet. You have to make your reservations through a specific group (maybe someone else can clarify who this is)
And the later that you get the hotel the farther you are going to have to walk.
I would think that you would want more people to go down there with you. We usually have 6 students and 3 mentors in the pit and then 5 scouts in the stands at a regular competition and at nationals usually 1 more student and 1 more mentor in the pit. You may be able to use that small of a group by it will be difficult.
With all of this though, FIRST is all about the challenge right?
I’ve been recently looking into traveling to ATL as a single (flights from CT to ATL (with a quick stop in FL for a few days as well)
& prices are kind of steep(ish) but not horrible - yet. (A little under 500 bucks for a multi city flight out of a small(er) airport to begin with (CT).
If you don’t mind layovers with flights, prices go down of course.
Anyways, that said, here is the info that FIRST has about team bookings:
You’ll want airfare, a hotel, & more than likely a MARTA (public transportation) pass for your days there (depending on where you stay).
The airport is about a half hour ride to the GA Dome (via The MARTA) & if you stay near the airport, your hotel rates are cheaper but you have a commute in & out every day (by MARTA).
Staying near the GA Dome is easier but more expensive for the hotel fee (but you may only need 2 rides on the MARTA (back & forth from airport to hotel on the day you arrive & the day you leave) so you can skip the multi-day MARTA pass).
It’s all about how much your budget allows, & how much convenience you want in the mornings (and nights) of competition.
Do you want to walk right from your hotel to the venue, or can you tolerate a morning & evening train ride of about a half hour (or less) to get back to your hotel?
First, your lead mentor/main contact on TIMS would have received an email shortly before ship day that explains many of the details below.
Steele Meetings is the company that handles the hotel packages for the FIRST hotels. You do not have to use them to make your arrangements. If you book through them the Saturday night finale tickets are included. If you book outside of their packages, you have to purchase tickets seperately. We booked seperately because we were able to get a better rate at a better hotel, even after purchasing the tickets seperately.
You have until the Monday after the competition you qualified at to let FIRST know you are going to attend the, this is done by simply logging into TIMS and registering for the event.
You then have until Tuesday, the next day, to arrange payment, either credit Card/Check or Purchase Order. Yes, payment is due by April 10th.
Currently all downtown hotels in the Steele Meeting packages are closed out, completely booked up.
Also, remmember this isn’t Nationals, its a World Championship. Gives it a little more prestige when speaking to your schools admin.
Jimmy, just for my reference, (and anyone else I guess) where can one buy a finale event ticket?
-And do I need one if I’m an event volunteer??
I usually go with a team who buys them with the package, but this year I may just be flying solo - kind of bittersweet to go without the team, but none-the-less I do plan on going.
The event tickets are sold by Steele Meetings at the event. Still not sure where at the event. I’m assuming somewhere in the pit area or just outside in the lobby. They are only on sale Thursday and Friday. This is all info I received from a rep at Steele Meetings.
I was volunteering until we qualified to compete. In my last volunteer email I received before cancelling, it asked me if I was attending the finale. The email sounded like they were providing tickets to the volunteers, but I would email your volunteer coordinator to double check.
Elgin, feel free to consider yourself an honorary member of team 558 in Atlanta!! Make sure to come by and introduce yourself in CT first, so we’ll at least know what you look like LOL, and I’ll try to do the same.
I would recommend Delta if you are going to fly, there national hub is Atlanta so you can probably get pretty good fairs because they have many flights going there. I am flying down to meet the team because of work, and delta was a good $100 less than any other, from South Bend Indiana, a no name airport, direct to Atlanta. 1 hr 45 mins
Looking agian it appears as if some of the downtown hotels have opened up again. I logged in last week when I was doing my price shopping and they showed all closed.
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We have heard from several of you so far and we are looking forward to working with you assisting you with your hotel needs. For those of you that may still be in need of hotels please know that we still have several hotels available in the downtown area. Please visit our website to see the latest offerings at www.e2mevents002.com/client/viewEvent.do?alias=FIRST09.
As you are preparing for your trip to Atlanta, we would like to provide you some additional information that may be helpful.
Finale Tickets – Steele Meetings will again be distributing tickets at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) outside the pit entrance in Building C. In addition, we will be selling additional tickets as needed. We are still waiting for the final pricing for the additional tickets.
FIRST/Atlanta website – The city of Atlanta has again provided **FIRST **with an event specific website. Please visit www.atlanta.net/first for information on dining, transportation options and other activities available in the city of Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium is offering a special rate for FIRST participants on Friday night, April 17th.
We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta. Please let us know if you have any questions concerning hotels in the city of Atlanta or if you need any assistance."
Sounds like a plan Denise! I’m still not 100% sure I’m going to Atlanta yet, but my trip looks to be a go.
I’m still watching airfares & what not playing the waiting game until they drop more - which is unlikely, but then again, changing my flight schedule(s)* around seems to enable me to save me a bundle as well!
*I’m planning on going to FL for a couple days after Atlanta as well.
I need a “non-FIRST vacation” for myself this year! lol
In the past volunteers have received one if you volunteer for 2 or 3 days. Check with the volunteer coordinator to make sure what the requirement is this year.
