[clipperw]

I've been to the 15th Region Tournament 4 of the last 5 years. Here are my pros and cons of it.

Cons:
Concession Prices. I know there are plenty of dining options in Pikeville but personally, I like to eat during the games. If I'm not mistaken, last year they did offer a meal deal of some sort. I don't remember the specifics but I thought it was pretty fair, but then again if you take a family of 3 or 4 to a game, its going to add up quickly.

Atmosphere. While the high school gyms can get hot and tight in a big game, it only adds to the feel and atmosphere. At the Expo Center, its a bit too cavernous in there. I think some temporary seating behind each goal would be a great addition to the overall atmosphere, perhaps have the student section or at least part of it there.

I don't know if this is an Expo issue or not but, I've not seen any programs for sale at the Region Tournament in a few years. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places though. I always like to pick those up as a keepsake of the games I've been too. I figure too its also nice for the players/parents to have as a memory of these days.

Pros:

I do like the space in the Expo Center. Plenty of room to stretch out for the most part. If you want, you can sit up top and not be packed in, the sightlines are great mid court up top, or at least I feel that way about it. For me its more comfortable there.

Chairback seats. The chair backs are my favorite thing about the Expo Center. Sometimes the bleachers can be unforgiving on the back.

While I've enjoyed my time at the Expo Center watching the region games, it would be nice if they went back to the high schools. With all that money involved though, I don't see it happening.

As far as the hospitality room, if they were going to charge to get in, then they shouldn't have bothered with it to start with. I thought that was the entire point of a hospitality room.