Huddle Up Group rendered a Sports Tourism Strategic Plan and Facility Recommendations for the Shreveport Bossier Sports Commission, which is an arm of the Shreveport Bossier Tourist and Convention Bureau. The study, dated October 25, 2024, evaluated the potential of Shreveport Bossier to become a tops sports tourism destination.
The report stated that the interior design of Expo Hall is not conducive to hosting competitive events due to the following:
The basketball courts are of various sizes and won't allow the venue to "specialize" in any one age group. The main court overlaps several other courts, which would take them out of play any time the main court is in play.
Several of the courts are too close to one another and don't have the proper buffer space most event organizers would require.
The venue lacks standard amenities such as scoreboards, divider nets, volleyball net systems, shot clocks, and flexible seating/bleachers.
Even if drop down divider nets were added to the existing layout, the nets would fall too close to the court sidelines in some cases, especially for volleyball.
The current locker rooms are not conducive to hosting events and are all designed for male occupants.
The report states the court layout needs to be completely redesigned for any travel sports events other than 3X3 basketball. Expo Hall is really limited to being a recreational sports venue. Bottomline the facility will not attract out of town visitors for competitive sports events.
Huddle Up notes that in its current layout Expo Hall is a venue that can host cheer and dance, volleyball, and pickleball tournaments. This writer is only aware of one use of Expo Hall for a sports/entertainment venue--that being the Humor and Harmony Festival's 3X3 celebrity basketball tournament.