FAQs / Contact

What is the FIRST Mentor Conference?

The FIRST Mentor Conference is a 2-day event aimed at creating and growing a one-stop conference for FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) community mentors to share their experiences, best practices, and further build community. This year, 2023, will be the first time this event occurs, though we hope for it to become an annual staple within the FIRST Community.

What is the setup of the conference??

The conference will feature 3 tracks of content for different stages of FRC teams: Pre-season/rookie stage teams, early year teams, and established teams. Content will be taught/shared by established mentors and leaders within the FIRST Robotics Community. Various activities for overcoming early team hurdles will also be built-in, such as a grant writing workshop, a kit bot assembly session, and other interactive sessions.

What is the conference cost?

FIRST Mentor Conference attendance ticket is $100, which includes food for the 2 days of the event (breakfast and lunch each day), and a shirt. A limited number of scholarships are available for attendance.

What is the schedule for the 2 days of the conference?

This is the rough outline for the 2 days; specific details about the schedule will be in the Schedule page of the site (constantly being updated)

Saturday:  

7:00 - 8:30am - Registration/breakfast

8:30-8:50am - Keynote

9 - 5pm (1 hr for lunch) - Workshops/sessions

Sunday: 

8:00 - 8:45am - breakfast

9:00-9:20am - Keynote

9:30 -3pm (1 hr for lunch) - Workshops/sessions

3pm end time

Lighter activities post-lunch on Sunday

Extended overflow/open time for people to mingle (up to 5pm)

Who can attend this conference?

The FIRST Mentor Conference is for post-high school FRC mentors and potential mentors. Students should not attend this event without express permission from the planning committee. 

Will the event be livestreamed or recorded?

A major goal of the FIRST Mentor Conference is for mentors, old and new, to share their experiences, best practices, and further build community. As such, this event will be in-person only with no livestreaming.