As an actual boat show, there is no comparison. The MArine Stadium was hands down a better boat show. There were demonstration rides going non-stop from beginning to end.
They talk about how hard it was to get to the show, but once we got it figured out, not a very big issue at all.
Getting from the Convention Center to the in-the-water part of the show from the convention center, twice as much time as getting to the Marine Stadium in the first place, and once there, no where else one needed to go.
Setup was ten times easier than at the Convention Center, and saved days of time.
There is only one advantage the Convention Center has. The significant others can get tired of the show and walk to shopping, restaurants, or the beach in just a few minutes.