There’s been a lot of talk about venues (one of the more difficult aspects), either for a new regional, district events, or a district CMP. I’m going to quote a few aspects from the Official Regional/District Planning Guides, as a set of minimum requirements (notwithstanding scheduling).
- The suggested venue cost is $10,000 (district planning guide, page 19), so this is the ballpark we’re operating in. For a regional or district championship, the average is about $37,000 (regional planning guide, section 4, page 4)
- General space recommendations for a district event:
[quote="“District Planning Guide, page 21"”]
Competition area[/quote]
: The designated playing area must be at least 80’ x 100’ with a ceiling height of 25’ minimum and un-obstructed viewing for an average of 50 spectators per team (so for a 36 team event, that’s about 1,800 seats)
Pit area: A space of approximately 100 sq. ft. per team is needed in the pit area, preferably in the form of a 10’ x 10’ square. Additional space is needed for aisles and pit administration/robot inspection facilities. Each team pit will require 110 VAC drop and a 72”x30” table. Access between the pit area and the playing field should be short, level, at least 6’ wide and preferably is not also utilized by spectators. The pit area should have direct street loading access (so for a 36 team event, that’s at least 4,000-5,000 square feet for pits).
Judges’ meeting room: The judges meeting room should encompass 500-750 sq. ft. and be within easy walking distance of the field
Chairman’s Award interview area: approx. 300 sq.ft. for interviews. This area should be quiet and free from distractions
Dean’s List interview area: approx… 300 sq. ft. for interviews. This area should be quiet and free from distractions
Volunteer dining area: The volunteer dining area should provide seating for 50 and space for food buffet service
First aid area: The first aid area should be within convenient walking distance of the pit and competition field
Machine shop: The inclusion of a machine shop is optional
Parking: The site should have access to as much free parking as possible and plans should be made for overflow parking
VIP lounge: If the District Leadership Entity decides to actively engage VIPs at district events, a VIP lounge with an unobstructed view of the field is recommended
Media/Press Room: Optional
- Read the District Venue Selection Checklist for a brief overview of all the things required. For a Regional/DCMP, there are even more requirements.
- This doesn’t even get into the logistics of planning district events and the manpower required. There’s a nice flowchart on page 14 of the District Planning Guide that illustrates many of the positions that are involved.
Overall, these requirements can be pretty tough to meet, especially for high schools in NYC because it’s not just the size of the school that matters, but also the physical layout of its space. And it’s often difficult to find enough pit space that’s an easy walk to the field, since many schools in the area don’t have a second gym.
The most likely venues then are basketball/hockey arenas (for completeness, the parent category), and I’m willing to bet that even many of those don’t fit the requirements.