[Lil' Lavery]

Speaking in generalizations, the logistics of convention centers is great (lots of space, nearby hotels & entertainment, etc), the atmosphere and crowd experience is traditionally lacking compared to basketball/hockey arenas. Arenas tend to have more seating, more comfortable seating, better sightlines, and have a more amped atmosphere. There are exceptions either way (I'd take the DC convention center over the Patriot Center in a heartbeat), but after attending quite a few events, I'd say it's a pretty good rule of thumb.