Hello iwannaweld, the last and only time that I was able to go to the AWS show(it wasn't matched with Fabtech then), was when it was held in Los Angeles. It was a whirlwind of sensory stimulations, there was so much to see and do that you could go non-stop for the entire time that it was going on and still not possibly cover everything. My understanding now is, since it has joined with Fabtech that it is even bigger and has more to offer. The only comment I would include would go something like this: if you don't have the money to splurge on this then you may or may not appreciate what is available there. There are certainly other ways to come up with answers to your questions, ways to see new equipment, or any number of other questions to be answered in other ways. I believe the show has all of this packed into one place and will leave you with a memorable experience that you would never forget. While I was in Los Angeles I was exposed to equipment that I could play with, ask information about, and sit down and operate it right there on the floor. Much of this was equipment that I have not seen since and may never see again, but that didn't make it a waste or of no use. Life can take you down many paths, possibly later on I may end up running into some of this technology again, just not likely the same version of it. So my suggestions are to go to the show if you can make it happen. I know that others on the forum have been to many of these and hopefully they will chime in with other observations. Best regards, aevald