Trade shows are a mixed bag.
Some, like the most recent E3, feel like you totally wasted several days. The crowds are insane, there are no new significant product announcements and your ears ring for days after from all the noise. Others, like the more recent Macworld New York, show why they have trade shows in the first place. There were a few important announcements, while the crowd was big, it wasn't painfully so, and the booths with the big stereos only played them loud enough for their audience, not the whole damn city. There were three major announcements at Macworld.