ATLANTA (August 16) -- For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology (FIRST) has announced
it will return to Atlanta for the 2007 Robotics
Championships. The commitment to return to the
city for another three years comes after the success
the 2004 and 2005 competitions in Atlanta. With
the 2006 Championship already committed to Atlanta,
2007 will mark the fourth consecutive year the
event will take place in the city and the agreement
includes options to continue in Atlanta in 2008
and 2009.
"We have established a great partnership
with FIRST and are beyond excited to welcome the
Championships to the city," said Spurgeon
Richardson, ACVB president. "To host an event,
especially one of this magnitude, for four consecutive
years with the potential to make it six, speaks
volumes about Atlanta and everything we have to
offer."
The FIRST Championship is the premier student
robotics competition and celebration of science
and technology. The Championship marks the culmination
of the FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST LEGO
League, and FIRST Vex Challenge seasons. Students
work alongside professional engineers to design,
build and then compete with robots in three simultaneous
competitions. The event is open to the public
and features exciting, high-tech competitions,
access to robot pit areas where teams repair and
refine the robots for competition, and seminars
on the latest in robotics technology.
Driving FIRST's decision to return to the city
was Atlanta's unmatched combination of facilities,
accommodations, restaurants, transportation and
attractions. The Championships will once again
be based in the Georgia Dome, with the adjacent
Georgia World Congress Center serving as the pit
area for the competition. The nearby Centennial
Olympic Park will provide open space for outdoor
activities involved with the event.
"Without a doubt, our unique campus offers
an event like FIRST everything they are looking
for in a convention facility, from a stadium to
traditional exhibit hall space to the wonderful
21-acre Centennial Olympic Park," said Georgia
World Congress Center General Manager Mark Zimmerman.
"Atlanta's rich history of hosting world
class sporting events and its state-of-the-art
facilities make it a perfect fit for the FIRST
Robotics Championship," said Dean Kamen,
FIRST founder and inventor of the Segway human
transporter. "Its attractions, accommodations
and genuine Southern hospitality make it a wonderful
host city for the FIRST teams and their families."
The 2005 Robotics Championship welcomed 466 teams
from 19 countries to Atlanta in April. Combined,
the 2004 and 2005 Championships brought an estimated
40,000 visitors to Atlanta and generated more
than $40 million in economic impact on the city.
Next year's event is scheduled for April 27-29
in Atlanta.
ABOUT FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST
in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science
and technology in young people, their schools
and their communities. Based in Manchester, N.H.,
FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs
to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills
while motivating young people to pursue opportunities
in science, technology and engineering. With the
support of many of the world's most well-known
companies, the non-profit organization hosts the
FIRST Robotics Competition for high school students
and the FIRST LEGO™ League for children
9-14 years old. To learn more about FIRST and
the 2002 FIRST Robotics Competition go to www.usfirst.org.
About the Georgia World Congress Center
Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the
Georgia World Congress Center features 1.4 million
square feet of prime exhibit space, 12 exhibit
halls, 106 meeting rooms and 2 grand ballrooms.
Complemented by the Georgia Dome and Centennial
Olympic Park, the three facilities comprise one
of the finest convention, sports, and entertainment
complexes in the world. For more information,
visit www.gwcc.com.
About the ACVB
Established in 1913, the ACVB is a private, nonprofit
organization created exclusively to market metro
Atlanta and Georgia as the premier conventions,
meetings and leisure destination in the regional,
national and international marketplace and to
favorably impact the Atlanta economy through conventions
and tourism. For more information on Atlanta or
the ACVB, please visit www.atlanta.net.
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