Here are a few points based on the weekend I had:
+Mixer was short and straight forward with good food and a simple game. Having the liaisons dance to reveal numbers was fun as well. Practice space was large and we had more than enough tine.
-I wish the show order was random rather than predetermined by when you get you registration in. I like the blowout has penalties for a late mix, lighting cues, roster, fees, etc. but I wish teams weren't penalized for being later than another even though it was on time. Imo, I think it is more fair to do random/double blind.
=Lots of teams had rigging this year which I believe pushed tech time back a decent amount this year but the Lisner workers were helpful in getting props rigged. I'd say plan a little more time for this next year to avoid tech time delays.
+The rooms to get ready in across the street were nice and large and we were able to comfortably get ready.
++The comp ran really smoothly and the crowd was honestly the loudest and most engaged I had ever performed for.
-I'm not sure what the deal with the two after parties was but it was a little confusing. I'm sure the board couldn't control this but it would be preferable if there was just one.
+The one we decided to go to was a blast however.
+We had super helpful liaisons, Charmi and Roshna, who went above and beyond to take care of things.
+Mukta and other board members were very responsive and quick to help or get help whenever needed.
Overall, wonderful experience once again! Blowout continues to impress year after year.
Gonna piggyback off of Eric here because he hit all the major points. Overall, Blowout was extremely well-organized (as always), and it was evident that every detail was thought out as much as possible prior to comp weekend. S/O to the entire board, and our liaisons Akshay and Shivani, for making this weekend as smooth as it could have been. Few points that I'll mention, but overall there really isn't much to give feedback on for this competition!
Lead-Up to the Comp:
- Committee was SO good about keeping in touch and making sure we had no concerns with rigging/mix/etc. Special shoutout to Mukta who was extremely helpful to UNC for some last minute issues that we were having with our set!
Mixer:
- I was fashionably late and couldn't attend, but from what the team said it was the most fun mixer they had been to all year, so props!
- I'm gonna agree with Eric here and say that I wasn't a fan of how the show order was selected. I think that as long as teams meet their deadlines, there shouldn't be a penalty for turning it in earlier vs later *within the deadline*. I understand what Blowout was trying to accomplish here in doing this, but maybe a better way of approaching it would be to: 1.) randomize the teams who met the deadline, 2.) allow them to pick their spot in random order, 3.) randomize the remaining teams who failed to meet the deadline, 4.) allow them to pick their spots out of the remaining spots available. Just an idea.
Post-Mixer Practice:
- Marvin Center is soooooo dope. We had the room until 2 am and could essentially fit a full stage in our room. Can't ask for more from the committee with regards to this.
Rigging/Tech:
- We had production meetings with tech staff both Friday night and Saturday morning before rigging. They took literally 30 seconds to do and definitely provided us that extra assurance that tech stuff would run smoothly during the show. Would recommend other comps do this if possible.
- Lisner crew was extremely helpful in the rigging process. Having never rigged before, I was wayyy lost in the sauce, but received a lot of help and info from the stage crew about how to ensure the rigging was a success.
Tech Time:
- Eric touched on it so won't mention too much about it. But this was also an issue last year at Blowout. If need be, please start rigging earlier in the morning and have tech times start earlier with the anticipation of running late. Our tech time was at 3:30 pm (and show started at 6:30 pm), and we had to go on stage for tech time half in vardi/paghs, which was not ideal. Don't know if it was Blowout scheduling at fault, or maybe Lisner didn't allow people in before a certain time or something, but for future, please allow for somewhat of a cushion, if possible, in case rigging does get delayed.
Post-Tech Time:
- Room they gave us was dope for getting ready. Last year we were allowed to keep all of our stuff in Marvin Center during the show, which was super super hype. If possible, doing this again would be hella clutch, rather than having to transport all of our stuff that we don't need for the show to Lisner.
Show:
- Smooth sailing.
- Not sure why Blowout keeps teams off stage during awards, but I personally like when comps bring all the teams on stage for awards. I think it's awesome to see the emotions of teams when they place, especially at a comp like Blowout. If possible, it'd be nice to bring teams on stage for future years.
After-Party:
- Again, like Eric said, not sure why there were two different after parties but I doubt it was Blowout committee's fault. Regardless, 2 is better than 0.
S/O to Blowout for killing it once again! And congrats to Cal and Buckeye for their placings as well.
