I went to the first few Oriental Boat Shows... They are interesting, but like David said, they are pretty much 100% local. I hate to say it, but it's more of a community social gathering than a boat show. A chance for all the area boaters to get together and gossip. A few brokers bring boats down from New Bern... sometimes... and a few local builders of center consoles or skiffs are there. But even then, the vast majority of the in-water boats are sailboats. Generally, they are boats that have been on the market for a while. It's just not worth it to brokers to pay for delivery and space. There just isn't the traffic.
There are a few good vendors, but a lot of junk too. the "pickers" bring a pile of junk and the consignment store brings a similar pile of parts very few need. A couple of canvas people, several marine construction companies, and a few clubs and organizations also present there. Even car dealers and many other non-boating related booths are there.
We have seen a couple of seminars that never really amounted to much.
There was a lot of excitement when they first started. They even had a pod-driven Grand Banks(?) the first year, but when the brokers and vendors saw the same people every year that are just kicking tires, the luster started to fade. They even changed venues from Pecan Grove to downtown Oriental to try and revive it. I don't think it did, but it does provide better eating options that are walking distance.
I don't hate it, but I don't go out of the way to get there every year any longer. It's an okay thing to go see, but it's not a place to find a selection of powerboats, much less trawlers to give you a ton of comparison. If you want to just visit Oriental, the boat show is as good an excuse as any. Bess and I LOVE that town and visit there constantly.
