Our guild just did a show in Nov. 2011. We rented the hall in our Convention Center, the rent included the poles and drapes used in hanging the quilts, it also included a second room that was devoted to education and demonstrations and 2 bed turnings. The grand total rent....OVER $6,000.00! We had approximately 350 quilts, 17 vendors, an area for silent auction and a country store. We charged $6.00 admission and did not make any profits off the admission and were happy that admissions just about covered our expenses. It's expensive to do a large quilt show.
So, while you may think that $5, $6 or even $10 seems extreme it may be just covering expenses to give the quilting community an opportunity to see beautiful quilts and to be inspired. I hope that the next time you get to go to a quilt show you will enjoy it and keep in the back of your mind that that cost to put on a show can add up.