Consider that the booths are operated by local dealers, not the machine manufacturers. So always consider who and where the dealer is located as it may not be local enough to you.

My former LQS used to be the dealer that did the Chicago shows for both Janome and Baby Lock (and later Juki). Not only did they have machines on the booth to demonstrate, but they also supplied the machines for the classes. When the show was over, they sold the class machines at a discount because they couldn't sell them as new.

That said ... the first year the Juki long arm was out (5 years ago??) I went to the show, visited their booth, and talked to the owner. He gave me the 'show special price'. Fast forward a few years and I am visiting the store and I see the sit-down version of the Juki long arm and I talk to the owner again. Finally, after walking away a few times, he comes to find me again and whispers a price in my ear that I couldn't refuse and I bought the machine on the spot. Fast forward again and once again I am at the Chicago show and my dealer has the booth and they have the Juki Sit-down on demo. I overheard one of the other salespeople tell a prospective buyer the price and it was several hundred dollars more than what I paid in the store.

I had a similar experience with one of the Brother embroidery machines. I saw the machine at a show in Paducah and got a price. I excused myself from the booth and called a dealer local to me and told her what I was looking at and asked her if she could beat the show price, she said she could. unfortunately when I went to her showroom a few days later and reminded her of the phone call (which she admitted she remembered) she said "she thought" I was talking about a different machine and there was no way she could meet the price I mentioned. Considering she only carried ONE Brother model embroidery machine, I think she was lying to me. Needless to say, I never shopped there again.

So ... the answer is yes and no. You might want to check out the prices at your local dealer, then check the prices at the show, or do what I did and telephone your dealer from the show (and hope you can trust them). But remember, if a local dealer is an important decision in buying a machine from someone, make sure the show dealer is indeed 'local' to YOU.

I bought my Bernina sit down at a show. It was a really good deal. The dealer was taking orders, so I ordered it and drove down to their shop in Chicago to pick it up. The machine and table were in not-too-heavy sections so it loaded right into my SUV.

I bought my Janome 6600 at a local quilt show, from my local vendor. I had to wait a week to pick mine up because they'd sold all they had in stock! I don't think they were sending machines home with people right that day anyway, though - they won't let a brand-new machine out of the building until they've unboxed it, tested it, and made any required adjustments.

I also purchased a machine at a show about 2 years ago at a great discount. It was a Janome model that we were using in a class. They had 20 machines for students so I did have to wait until the show and classes were over to pick it up. They honored the warranty and even threw in a couple of accessories for free.

I bought one from the Fabric Garden in ME. at the quilt show a few years ago and it was a very good deal that I left with that day and enjoy using it.

I should have mentioned that it was a brand new Janome, still the box.

I have never purchased from Quilt shows, but when I was at nancynotions weekend last year people were purchasing machines and babylock has a huge supply their and customer were able to take once purchased. I totally agree with Quilt30 the training classes and other specials may not be available as if you purchased from store dealer, just make sure you ask those questions and get it in writing, and if they do offer find out where this may not be near your home.

I"m sure you can get a good deal at shows, but first check with local vendors on pricing and service - especially whether they would service a machine bought elsewhere. With these pre-checks you can decide whether the offer is a good one for you. After getting a local dealer's first price, ask them if they could match a price from a vendor at a quilt show - might make them give a better offer. For me, service would be the key - any shipping costs to get it serviced would make that show price not so great.

I bought my Janome 4120 at a quilt show. It was a demo machine. I was able to take it home with me. The vendor was well known to me, has a shop about an hour and a half drive from my house. It included a class which was a total waste of my time, otherwise I'm thrilled with the machine and the price I paid.

I got a very good deal from a quilt show in the UK when I bought my Janome. They offered me the chance to give them 12 post dated checks (one for each of the following 12 months) so I didn't have to pay out the whole amount at the show. I walked away with a brand spanking new machine - great? Well, the only problem was I travelled to the show in a tiny 2 seater sports car with a very small trunk and yes, you guessed it, I couldn't fit the heavy box in. I had to take it all out of the box and fit it in that way with the seat belt holding the machine on the passenger seat. Did have a laugh to myself on the way home. It's been a wonderful machine over the years.