ROBOTS INVADE ANAHEIM!

Over 6000 middle school, high school and  college students from 18 different countries  traveled to Anaheim CA, along with their parents,  friends and their robots to compete in the  2012 Vex Robotics Competition World Championship  at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 19 - 21.  After the final points were tallied, the winning alliance  from each division was comprised of teams from  Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico,  Singapore and the United States, who took home  the coveted World Championship trophies. This event  is a massive undertaking, led by the Robotics Education  Competition Foundation who tapped INFINITY EVENTS  as this year's management company.

OPENING DAY / PARADE OF NATIONS    On the first day of competitions, confetti cannons  showered the crowd of thousands at 7:30am just  as the doors opened to lead the teams into miles  of red carpet that served as a roadway to each  of the (9) competition divisions throughout the  400,000 square feet of exhibit Halls A&B  as well as the Anaheim Arena.  Also attended by countries from as far as Saudi Arabia,  Bahrain, Brazil and Japan, this three day event is  literally the robotics and technological equivalent  to the Olympic games complete with a Parade of Nations  kicked off by The USC Marching Band and exploding  pyrotechnics as each country took the stage proudly  carrying their nations flag. THE GAMES With over 600 teams of 10, space for this competition  was at a premium.  Every square inch of The Anaheim  Convention Center's Halls A&B were utilized.   During a match, teams are separated into the Red Team  and the Blue Team.  Much like basketball but with robots,  these teams must place colored shapes into columns  while using defense and offense strategies.  All pre-qualifying rounds as well as the finals all took place  in the Anaheim Arena which was also the location for  opening ceremonies each day and the highly anticipated  reveal of the 2013 game for competitors eager to get a  jump on next year's robot designs, the 2012/2013  VEX Robotics Competition game reveal included a  towering, four sided Kabuki drop, dramatic lighting and  pyrotechnics on Friday night, April 20.     THE FINALS The festivities reached a crescendo on Saturday as  over 10,000 people filled the Anaheim arena to watch  the division champion alliances work together to defeat  their competition in the Finals. Kicking-off the Finals,  participants were set aglow by iLuminate, the awe-inspiring  dance-in-the-dark sensation that took audiences by  storm last summer on the hit television series  "America's Got Talent." The performance was led by  Miral Kotb, iLuminate founder and software engineer  who developed the patent-pending wireless lighting  technology. After the conclusion of the finals, the newly  crowned world champions in each category were  photographed by media, coaches and families as  pyrotechnics provided by Fireworks America filled  the arena and a rain curtain of sparks showered  down onto the stage.