Did they not have ninjas back there to help on the ramp? I ask mostly out of surprise. They almost always have people backstage to help with that because anyone who comes off stage into the dark (whether backstage or into the house) is going to have trouble adjusting to the low light. That's why we had a whole line of ninjas along the ramp backstage for the masquerade. (I didn't work the Hugos.) We usually have ninjas by all of the stairs for the same reasons.

This is not to say that a ramp in the front isn't a good idea. I think it is. I know they ran into some problem with having a second ramp.