Running Demos, Workshops & Pit/Swag Culture

Running a great demo

A robot demo is often a kid’s first encounter with FIRST. Make it count:

• Bring a safe, reliable demo robot - often a past-season robot or a purpose-built driveable bot. Check the event/host’s safety rules; bumpers on, fingers clear.
• Let kids drive if it’s safe - hands-on beats watching every time.
• Have a clear pitch: what FIRST is, what your team does, and how a kid (or parent) can get involved.
• Bring takeaways: buttons, stickers, and a flyer or QR code to your website/socials.
• Capture it: photos, a short video, and a headcount for your outreach log.

Running a workshop

Workshops (CAD, scouting, programming, or media/branding) are high-value because they help other teams directly - one of FIRST’s three impact areas.

• Define one clear learning outcome.
• Prepare slides and a hands-on activity; keep the talking-to-doing ratio low.
• Publish your materials publicly afterward so the impact compounds and counts as a “public resource.”

Pit culture: your home at competition

Your pit is roughly a 10x10-foot booth that doubles as a brand statement and a hospitality space:

• A clear pit banner with your number, logo, and sponsor logos, readable from across the venue.
• Organized tool boards and cart - efficiency reads as professionalism to judges who roam the pits.
• Friendly greeters and your team photo/QR code so visitors can find you online.
• Keep it on-brand: same colors and fonts as everything else.

Buttons, pins & swag culture

FRC has a vibrant pin/button trading culture - it’s a social currency that gets people talking to your team:

• The most common standard is the 2.25-inch round button. Make a logo button and a fun seasonal/trade pin people will want to collect.
• Outsource them or buy a 2.25“ button maker (e.g., American Button Machines) to press your own affordably.
• Bring plenty - they vanish fast - and offer them freely; generosity builds goodwill.
• Other swag: stickers (cheap, high-spread), lanyards, patches, and team shirts. Your team shirt is your single most-worn branding asset, so design it well.

Gracious Professionalism in practice

Everything in the pit and at demos should reflect Gracious Professionalism: help neighboring teams, lend a tool or a part, and trade swag warmly. Judges notice, the community remembers, and it makes alliance partners want to pick you. Swag and pit culture aren’t fluff - they’re how a brand becomes a relationship.

Key takeaways

• Great demos let kids drive a safe robot and end with a clear pitch and takeaway swag; always log reach
• Your pit and team shirt are major branding assets; keep them organized, on-brand, and welcoming
• Lean into FRC’s button/swag trading culture (commonly 2.25-inch) as social currency, always in the spirit of Gracious Professionalism

This lesson was adapted from learnfrc.com.