It's very interesting to hear everyone's comments on this. One of my quilts was accepted into the show (thanks to maryb119 for suggesting that I submit it!) so DH and I made the trip up. I agree with several of the observations about "too much applique" and "too much quilting" but it really was inspiring (and humbling) to see all the fine workmanship. The ratio of vendors-to-quilts was very high; this was my first big show, so I wasn't sure if that was normal.
I took one class, and while I enjoyed it, I don't feel that I got my money's worth. It was a LA class (I had never used one before), and was 3 hours. The teacher spoke for over an hour, then 2 people shared a machine for the remainder. Not much actual hands on time. Should have cost about 1/2 what it did.
We had a good trip, though! I'd do it again, for sure!