Personally, I'd shell out $60 again (and, in fact, will), for this year's Vegas Show and I don't even know who the dinner speaker is. As many of you who attend shows understand, the show dinners are always going to be a little pricey as they help support each show's operating costs. So, your support of the annual banquet dinner when you go to a show is not only for the food, but also to support the operating costs to put on these shows. I greatly value pipe shows as they are not money makers for those who put it on, but do enable the pipe hobbyists an opportunity to get together to share their passion as they buy/sell/trade.
I'd pay $60 to hear Brian Levine speak again. He was great last year. Very entertaining and witty and judging from the applause he received after his presentation, I think everyone there enjoyed it. And, unlike woodsroad (thank goodness his taste in tobacco is better than his judgement of food :wink
, my wife and I greatly enjoyed our dinner and those around us at our table complimented the fare as well.
So, shaintiques, if you go to the West Coast Pipe Show, you will have a great time as Marty Pulvers and Steve O'Neil do an unbelievable job to make it fun for everyone. And if you do fork out the $60 for the dinner, sit at my table and I'll amuse you if the speaker doesn't. :wink: