What is the Event Meeting?
Each VEX Robotics tournament features an event meeting that occurs before matches begin at the event. The event meeting can be held live in-person, pre-recorded, or a combination of both. It is designed to provide all event attendees—including teams, coaches, and spectators—with information about the event, venue, and key rules of the game. Whenever possible, it should also include an opportunity for students to ask the event’s Head Referee(s) questions about their interpretation of rules where some judgment may be required. This article provides best practices for what to include in your event meeting.
This video, produced by RECF in August 2025, is a great way to present a lot of the basic information that should be included in your event meeting. It features volunteers, event partners, and coaches from around the world, and covers the following topics in a 5-minute run time:
- Welcome and thank you
- Rule G1 and the RECF Code of Conduct
- Rule G2 and the RECF Student-Centered Policy
- What to do if you see G1 or G2 violations during the event
- Make time for robot skills matches
- Be available for interviews with judges
- How teams can advocate for themselves after matches
You can use it to kick off your event meeting, and then move into the specific information attendees need about your venue, event, and the current game’s rules. You can also provide this link in pre-event emails to registered teams. If you start your meeting with this video, you can skip some of the information listed below.
Try to keep the event meeting as short as possible, or you'll lose your audience. If you have a lot of information to convey, pre-record it and send to to teams in advance of the event. It is the teams' responsibility to read and understand the rules and Q&As, and every team at the event certifies during inspection that they've read and understood these rules. It is not your responsibility to read the rules or Q&As to the team. Brief reminders are appropriate (safety glasses, watch out for tipping, etc.), and a list of rules you'd like teams to go review before their first match is a great idea.
Topics in an Event Meeting
Typically Presented by the Event Partner
- Welcome to the event
- Introduction of key event staff
- Schedule / event agenda review
- Locations of restrooms, concessions, etc.
- Safety reminders as appropriate to the region and weather conditions
- Information about queuing and event flow
- Location of and rules for practice fields
- Location and schedule for skills fields, and other skills-pertinent information
- #s of qualification matches, and how many teams will participate in IQ finals or the V5 elimination bracket
- How match schedules will be distributed (paper copy or VEX Via)
- How judging interviews will be conducted
Typically Presented by a Head Referee
- Reminder of Code of Conduct & Student Centered Policy
- Reminders about how to appeal in-match rulings (immediately after the match, before the team leaves the field)
- Reminders about what to bring to a match (max # of students per team, safety glasses for V5, license plates, etc.) and what to do when you get to the field
- Reminders of key and/or troublesome rules
- IQ: Driver switch, rescuing a robot, and game-specific rules
- V5: Holding, tipping, and game-specific rules
- Brief Q&A with the Head Referee(s)
Event Meeting Templates
These templates include very basic information as a starting point for your own event meeting script, and are updated each season. You should add or remove content as needed.
- VEX IQ Robotics Competition Event Meeting Template
- VEX V5 Robotics Competition Event Meeting Template
Best Practices
These tips and tricks were shared by a panel of experienced Event Partners and Head Referees.
- Create a “run of show” for each event with a written-out timeline for your tasks that day
- Require EVERYONE to be present for the event (close the practice and skills fields, empty the pits, invite the judges, etc.)
- If you’re not the Event Partner, remember that it’s their event and you’re just a part of their team
- The event meeting sets the tone of the tournament, and can put students at ease
- Introduce yourself and make yourself approachable
- Always talk about rules G1, G2, T1, and T3
- Head Referees should highlight different rules for different events, based on the experience levels of the attending teams; know your audience and their experience
- Head Referees should use on-field demonstrations for rules and interactions when possible
Remind teams when the lunch break will be, and how/where they can find food - As the season goes on, event meetings can get shorter
- Don’t forget to thank the event volunteers!
- The last thing you say at the event meeting should be the next thing the teams need to know or do (e.g., “teams for matches 1-3 should queue now” or “skills fields are open now, and judges will start interviews in about 15 minutes”)