The Civic Center is a HUGE change from the small hall they had when I went to the RISAA used tackle swap/sell two years ago.
I went to my first MA Bass show last year. That was the best saltwater show I have attended so far. Lots more custom plug makers, more custom rod makers and more tackle of all sorts. Hatteras Outfitters stood out and I could have stayed at their boot for hours messing with all the accessories for the Abus!
They had a huge pile of custom rods as well.
Very knowledgable staff when it came to distance casting.
My biggest complaint about MA Bass is the ventilation down in the basement.
It was HOT down there. I was sweating up a storm......LOL. They need to turn on the A/C ! It got cramp down there real fast and it was hard to move around. More food choices at that mall for sure.
RISAA show beef would be the boats. I don't want to see boats at a saltwater fishing show.....lol. If I wanted to see boats I would go to a boat show.
Ditch the boats and get more local stores to participate. Easy for me to say, I don't have a clue how much a table costs.
Just my two cents. No offense to either organization. I do my best to spend lots of $ at the shows.