2027 FRC Event Initial Interest Form

Renee Becker-Blau
1 day ago
3 min read

Based on feedback from last season, we've simplified the early stages of the event selection process. The new “FIRST Wisconsin FRC Initial Interest Form” is designed to be a quick and accessible way to start the conversation about hosting a District Event.

This allows FIRST Wisconsin to work alongside interested groups, identify opportunities for collaboration, and assess overall fit before asking for more detailed information.

Initial Interest Form for hosting a 2027 FRC District/State Event

This form is due by 5/15/26.

High Level Venue Requirements

At a high level, a district event venue must have:

An area for a competition field with seating for ~1200+ people and high ceilings
An area for 30-32, 10x10 foot pits and a test area (approximately 15x30 feet)
Access between the pits and competition field that does not require stairs, elevators or teams going through single wide doors
300+ parking spots
An area for team trailers to load-in through double-wide or garage doors
A room for 75-90 volunteers to eat meals
A room for 20 judges to deliberate
6 additional rooms for Impact interviews, FIRST Leadership Award interviews, quiet room, event office, media room and VIP room

Committee Requirements

The planning committee is responsible for the event execution, in collaboration with FIRST Wisconsin. The individuals on this planning committee include, at a minimum:

Planning Committee Chair: Manages the committee leading up to the event, coordinates meetings, and communicates with FIRST Wisconsin.
Volunteer Coordinator: Recruits and manages volunteers, prints volunteer badges, communicates with volunteers, and manages them during the event.
Volunteer Food Coordinator: Organizes and maintains volunteer food throughout the event, identifies in-kind food donations, and ensures timely arrival of food.
Accommodations Coordinator: Creates a welcoming and inclusive environment by coordinating accessibility needs and supporting individuals with disabilities to ensure full participation at the event.
Business Development Lead: Responsible for working with FIRST Wisconsin to fundraise for the event.
Facility Coordinator: Manages access to facilities, contacts custodial staff as needed, and ensures that the venue is properly maintained.

Event Schedule

FRC events are 2.5 day events, with a 3.5 commitment from the venue. They typically run Wednesday through Saturday or Thursday through Sunday

The high level schedule with the approximate times the facility needs to be available is:

Day -1 (4:00 PM - 9:00 PM): Field setup begins in the afternoon
Day 0 (8:00 AM - 9:31 PM): Field setup completes. Team load-in and practice matches begin at 5:00
Day 1 (6:30 AM - 9:00 PM): Load-in completes, practice matches and qualification matches
Day 2 (6:30 AM - 9:00 PM): Qualification matches and playoffs, teardown and load-out

Available Dates

In our attempt to create an effective geographic and schedule distribution of events across the state, it's important to identify events that can play in every week of the FRC season. For prospective events, this means it's important to give us all possible dates the event could take place.

For the 2027 season, the schedule is as follows:

Week 1: Weekend of 3/6 & 3/7
Week 2: Weekend of 3/13 & 3/14
Week 3: Weekend of 3/20 & 3/21
Week 4: Weekend of 3/27 & 3/28
Week 5: Weekend of 4/3 & 4/4
Week 6: Weekend of 4/10 & 4/11
Week 7 (State Championship with 36+ teams): Weekend of 4/17 & 4/18

In the form, you can indicate whether you’re interested in offering a full planning committee, a partial committee, or a venue. Our goal is to use this information to connect groups, support collaboration, and deliver the best possible events for our community!

Renee Becker-Blau