at all the shows i've been to, there have been booths for:

bernina
pfaff
janome
viking
featherweights
brother
AND many more.

sometimes many will be shown by the same machine seller. at a show of your size, you should see that many. and you can try them all out.

Thank you all again for your replies. It was really helpful in tackling the vendors yesterday :)

Well -- don't leave us hanging like that -- what did you find????
:-) :-)

With my little one I'm online whenever I can so I can only say this right now :) I was there Sunday for the whole 5 hours running around like a chicken with its head cut off. All I managed to do is 5 machine vendors out of the 7. There was a learning curve involved so the last 2 didn't take as long. Upon request 3 of them gave me 30 days price freeze which may or may not turn out to be a deal. I have to inquire around as soon as I do have the time. I also didn't have a clear idea of what I had/could spend until I got there. I know what I like but it's out of reach. I may have to settle for a lesser quality machine with same feature and hope it will last. I'm also researching info about the machine I tried and hadn't considered before, too.

I also got a few batik flannel FQ to die for from Sew Batik to make a quilt for my son's crib... now I HAVE to buy a new machine. LOL

Sounds like you had fun and learned a lot!!! Can't wait to see what machine you do get :D :D :D