I think for a lot of people--myself included--shows are more of a social thing, and a chance to beat cabin fever. I never buy a lot of gear--I think I spent $10 on some 5 oz Ronz eels and another fin on a Derby hat, since I haven't been to MV since 2001. But I know that I'm going to run into people who I haven't seen in awhile.
I also think that the internet has removed some of the allure of shows--especially the big mega-shows like Worcester and Suffern, NY. I used to attend Suffern religiously, even though it was always the same vendors in the same places, and 80% of it wasn't stuff I'd ever be interetsed in--like Montana elk guides, beef jerky and miracle knife vendors, and the like. What used to get me there every year like clockwork was the chance to see the new fishing gear for that year from all of the major manufacturers, and to leave with an armload of catalogs. These days, guys fish in August with "new" reel models for the next season after getting one online from an overseas source, and a catalog is basically a few mouse clicks away. I remember the last year that the MSBA show was at Braintree Armory. The Abu rep was showing off this hot "new" Abu model called the 6500 Mag Elite. I'd already been fishing with one for two years after buying it online from England
New to the US market was the only "new" part of it.
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