Robotex spreading in China like wildfire
Our local Chinese team follows up with great plans after their awesome first robotics festival in Shanghai.
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Robotex China 2018, held in Shanghai, was a success by any metrics.
200+ volunteers helping to organise the festival.
400+ teams competing in robotics challenges.
900+ participants, all together in the teams.
7000+ visitors in the multiple venues.
Especially considering that it was this team’s first time organising any big festival.
They first came to us in the summer of 2017, asking whether it would be possible to take Robotex to China.
By that time, we already had two other candidates with similar wishes, so I decided to fly down to Beijing.
That is where I met with two of the potential local licensees (the third one never showed up) and spent a week with them. Finally deciding to go for the team with less experience as they wanted to go all in with us, cancelling all other projects.
Risky, of course!
But looking backwards — I’d say worth the risk.
This year they hosted three pre-events in various corners of China, and the big festival in Shanghai.
But as a first-year educational program, they needed to first prove themselves in the eyes of potential partners and the government. Paying everything from their own pocket. (Maybe not fair but starting new educational activities is not easy in any country)
However, the main Robotex China festival in Shanghai was seen as such success that now three different districts in Shanghai are fighting to get the event to their part of the town in 2019.
More so, even the government wants to give them the approval stamp, and a few companies have offered to support the program for 2019.
But that’s not all!
We have agreed that there will be no Robotex China big event in Shanghai next year.
Instead, we will host the Robotex Asia festival — inviting the Indians, Japanese, Singaporeans and a few other nationalities we’re about to open up soon all to Shanghai.
Further details to be announced soon.
Until that, let’s meet at Robotex International in Tallinn, Estonia!
Robotex International (November 30 — December 2) is our annual event and the Biggest Robotics Festival on the Planet. Thousands of engineers, executives, students and families come together to be inspired by industry leaders, build robots for various challenges and learn about the latest technology innovations.
