The REC Foundation reveals new competition games at the beginning of each new season. Hosting a game reveal celebration can be a great deal of fun and is a perfect way to kick off the season with your teams. This article includes some general steps to help you host a successful celebration.
Location
Decide where you'll host the celebration. It could be at your school, your build location, or even at your sponsor’s location.
Send Invitations
Create invitations, whether physical or digital, and send them out well in advance. Include all the details, such as the date, time, location, and any special instructions (like bringing snacks). Theme them to match your REC Foundation program!
Audio-Visual Setup
Ensure that you have a good TV or projector for viewing, along with quality audio. Test everything in advance to avoid technical difficulties during the event. Make sure you will be able to access the livestream broadcast if you plan to watch the game reveal "live". This can include having a reliable internet connection and subscription. Test the streaming quality before the celebration.
Food and Drinks
Stock up on snacks and drinks. You can have a mix of traditional game day snacks like chips, and nachos. You can also consider making it a potluck where each guest brings a dish. Consider dietary restrictions of your guests when planning the menu.
Setup and Decoration
Set up your space with comfortable seating, a good viewing area, and any decorations that fit the theme. Consider team colors or other related decorations.
Seating Arrangements
Arrange seating to ensure everyone has a good view of the screen.
After Watching the Game Reveal
- Download the competition manual.
- Organize a brainstorming session. Start listing every possible strategy that could be used to score the most points in a match. Discuss the pros and cons for each strategy. Have students list ideas on butcher paper / whiteboard / Smartboard for use in their season's engineering notebook.
- Set up a game field using whatever you have on hand so students can start to develop basic match strategies.
Next Steps
- Register your teams for the new competition season
- Order the new game elements
- Consider hosting a tournament (it can be a great fundraiser!)
- Set a schedule for team work sessions
- Set up focused workshop sessions to expand your team's skills and knowledge:
- Coding basics
- Game analysis
- Understanding the judging rubrics