That is very well said, @Anomaly.
Introduction of Signature Events in this format is definitely a very positive change that RECF made this year.
Just like @Anomaly had pointed out, they provide a natural way to reward regions that have higher percentage of the strong teams with additional Worlds qualification spots, without the need for RECF to make top-down decisions. Which is great!
They also create a virtual “Premier League” for the teams that consider themselves part of it, and let them experience and practice Worlds class gameplay earlier in the season.
Finally, Signature Events give another pathway for the teams that are anxious to make it to the Worlds in the time of BO1 and are willing to go extra mile (literally) and have resources to back it up. This also relieves significant amount of pressure from the State and Regional Championships (again under BO1 format) and makes it less stressful.
I’ve been recently reading this article:
It compares parenting styles in different countries and you can see a lot of parallels in how the dynamics described in the article plays out in the VRC, since it is, obviously, an educational program and all relevant implications are applicable here as well.
If RECF is considering additional changes to the competition format, I would highly recommend @DanMantz to take a look at the article linked above and the book that it was based on.