One group I know takes mostly handwork. Maybe hand embroidery, hand-piecing blocks, Hexie shapes, fabric & glue. Some even bring crochet or knit items they are working on. Hand Binding is another popular take-along. I recently took a bunch of HST's that I needed to square up. (side note: I have got to learn to sew these so that they come out squared. Squaring them is a mindless, boring job.) Some groups like working on the same project, so a lot of them will do the same quilt. This makes it more like a class atmosphere, but few bee's have that type of sewing space so it is mostly discussion. If you are having trouble with layouts, they will probably be happy to give you their opinions.
Bottom line, GO, have fun, find out if it's what you want to do. I love the bee's I go to.