Great comments! Welder, interestingly, my specialty is trade shows and I am very well connected. I have never thought about a niche boat show but I am going to kick the idea around with some colleagues.
Seabob4, to your point, I don't know anyone that is happy building boats. I am fascinated by the process and love to smell the fiberglass, but I am more suited to working in corporate offices. I will contact Mike, thanks for the tip.
Have Knots, first rule of marketing is know your audience and target specifically their wants and interest. I never realized the obvious, shame on me but it is a testament to my mind set once I walk into the Miami or Ft Lauderdale boat show, the audience there is so widespread but I would imagine the average boat price there is in excess of 100K. With the push of putting triple on boats now, even a 30 foot cc is well over 100K. Heck, for that matter the bigger brand names are commanding nearly 100K for duals.
There is definitely are large audience of regular Joes that would appreciate a targeted show. Ironically, Ship Shape TV started rubbing me the wrong way when John replaced the $20K generator of his 56' Monterrey. The show convinced me that although some day I might be able to afford a used sport fishing boat, I won't be able to afford to fix it. If the generator went out on me, I would have to sell the boat. I was hoping, and I recommend it to the show, that he would show the steps involved in painting your engines. That is the kind of show I need, targeted at the regular Joe. However, he is kind of a genius though. Get sponsors to fix your boat for free and get paid while doing it.
I better stop guys, because when I get started talking about boats I can't help myself. Anyways, great input! I really appreciate the comments tips and ideas.