During the last few days of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and every day since, we have continuously heard “best ever.” Those with the credentials to know have showered Spokane with praise — from TV commentator and one-time competitor Dick Button to fans who have been attending the championships for more than 30 years.

What is indisputable is that Spokane shattered the previous attendance record by almost 30,000 spectators, setting a new record of 154,893 for an event that dates back to 1914.

Spokane was the consummate host, showing its friendly nature, helping strangers, encouraging skaters with heartfelt cheers and shining for the national spotlight.

The local media, specifically The Spokesman-Review and KXLY-TV, produced some of the most amazing coverage of the event I have ever seen. Even the most jaded national journalists took notice. From our (albeit very biased) perspective, the championships were a resounding success.

Having achieved this accomplishment gives Spokane clout far beyond what our population would normally allow. Spokane has earned the right to be considered for future events that normally would not consider a market of this size. Spokane is poised for greatness.

But with all of the positives and accolades, there were lessons to learn. Local folks who have not attended an event of this magnitude needed more information about the seating process. Spokane can be successful in the future only if all of those who supported this event are excited to do it again. We took personally the very small number of complaints about the seating process. With a record-setting 154,893 people in attendance, some folks were not happy. This is an opportunity to further explain some of the areas that were questioned.

The five ticketed events that were held at the Convention Center drew fewer than 800 spectators in previous host cities. Had we known that we were going to have capacity crowds of 4,000 for each of these events, we would have invested in better seats.

U.S. Figure Skating did release a small number of very good seats just before the event, a common practice at major sporting events.

Those who purchased tickets only to the Exhibition of Champions were seated behind those who purchased both the All-Event Ticket package and Exhibition of Champions tickets. This is standard procedure at the championships, rewarding those who commit to attending the entire competition. All-event ticket purchasers received the same seat throughout the competition, except during the Exhibition of Champions. Because many people bought additional Exhibition of Champions tickets for friends and family on the final Sunday, there were different seat assignments that day.

All ticket brochures and the event Web site stated that the first eight rows were held for the judges’ stand, many of the 18 cameras used for the broadcast, the kiss and cry area, and ABC Sports’ broadcast platform. Once ABC Sports and U.S. Figure Skating approved the layout, the remaining seats in the first eight rows were available for upgrade. Upgrades were assigned based on the date the original order was received, as established by the Events Advisory Board of U.S. Figure Skating.

TicketsWest made an exceptional effort, time- and date-stamping every ticket order to give every ticket holder the best possible experience. Could elements of the ticketing process have been explained better? Certainly, but the effort to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Spokane was sincere.

The Championships is U.S. Figure Skating’s ship, and Spokane was lucky enough to skipper it for one year. U.S. Figure Skating still provides the final oversight.

What did the city gain? Certainly Spokane’s credentials for hosting future such events were elevated dramatically. However, let’s not forget how long it took to reach this outcome. The bid process began in 2002. Spokane was awarded the bid in February 2004. That’s five years of work. The city gains the most if the next event we host is as successful as the U.S. Championships have been.

The rest of the country is just learning of Spokane’s success. The attendance record sets such a high water mark, it is my opinion that it will stand for a very long time. Our next goals should be as lofty.