1. Managing Game Day Operations BEST National Conference Auburn University July 22, 2011

2. Presenters Nancy Rossland Bison BEST, Hub Director College Relations and Outreach College of Engineering and Architecture North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND Alan Kallmeyer Bison BEST, Game Coordinator Professor and Chair Mechanical Engineering Department North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

3. Overview Game Day Coordination Game Day Scheduling BEST Award Events Robotics Competition One Day vs. Two Day Examples Venue Planning Volunteer Coordination Creating Atmosphere

4. A Daunting Task… Robotics Game Field setup & maintenance Referee training Scoring Staging and pit operations Technical assistance Kit collection BEST Award Event locations Team scheduling Judge training Special awards Venue & Logistics Facility Equipment Signage Team registration Entertainment Hospitality Volunteer Coord. Registration Hospitality Game and pit crew Judges Referees Sponsors Plaques VIP access Recognition Event Schedule Robot compliance Team practice & drivers meeting Opening ceremonies Judge training Game schedule BEST Award schedule Sponsor recognition Awards ceremony & team meetings Game Day Coordination

5. Game Day Coordination It all starts with a good schedule…

6. BEST Award Scheduling Project Engineering Notebooks Minimum of 3 judges reviewing each notebook…and the more the merrier! Marketing Presentations 3 judges per room 30 minutes per presentation Team Exhibits Teams of 2 judges Each team visited 2-3 times 15 minutes per visit

7. BEST Award Scheduling Marketing PresentationsTeam Exhibits # of Teams # of Judges (groups of 3) # of Presentations (per judging group) Time Needed (30 min per presentation) # of Judges (groups of 2) # of Visits (per judging group) Time Needed (15 min per visit) 12 3 6 hours4123 hours 66 682 hours 16 684 hours610 or 112.75 hours 95 or 63 hours882 hours 20 6105 hours613 or 143.5 hours 96 or 7 3.5 hours 8102.5 hours 24 984 hours8123 hours 1263 hours109 or 102.5 hours

8. Robot Game Scheduling Considerations: Number of matches in preliminary rounds Time per round (cycle time) Time required between preliminary matches, semi-finals, and finals

9. Robot Game Scheduling Preliminary Semi- finals FinalTotal Time (hr) # of Teams 5 matches per team 8 matches per team 6 matches total 3 matches total 5 prelim. matches 8 prelim. Matches 12 Total # of Matches 152463 45.2 Total Time (hr) 23.20.80.4 16 Total # of Matches 203263 4.76.3 Total Time (hr) 2.74.30.80.4 20 Total # of Matches 254063 5.37.3 Total Time (hr) 3.35.30.80.4 24 Total # of Matches 304863 68.4 Total Time (hr) 46.40.80.4 **Assumes 8 minute match cycle time, 30 minutes between prelims and semi-finals, and 15 minutes between semi-finals and finals.

10. One Day vs. Two Day One Day + done on the same day + less expensive (if paying rental fees) - may require overlap of BEST Award judging and robot matches Two Day + allows team members to participate in all events + makes scheduling much easier - requires an overnight stay

11. A One Day Example… For 16 teams

12. A Two Day Example… For 24 teams

13. Marketing Presentations

14. Team Exhibits

15. A Two Day Example… For 24 teams

16. Venue Planning Size of Venue Number of teams & spectators Game and pit areas Team exhibits Marketing presentations Layout of Venue Traffic flow patterns Appearance from “main” entrance

17. Venue Layout Example Example floor plan from 2007 Bison BEST For 16 teams

18. Venue Layout Example Example floor plan from 2008 Bison BEST For 20 teams

19. Venue Layout – Game

20. Venue Layout - Pit

21. Venue Layout - Game

22. Venue Layout Example For 25 teams

23. Venue Layout Example

25. Volunteers …because you can’t do it alone!

26. Volunteers – How Many?

27. Creating Atmosphere Some things to consider… Music is critical! Lighting options Opening ceremony Parade of robots Pep bands Mascots Script

28. Creating Atmosphere