Let me know if you end up going. I'm not certain myself yet, but no point us both going and not realising the other person is also there :)

Thanks for the input so far!! Howard, your comment on Chicagoland was really helpful. I really liked meeting Greg of Oak Hill Gardens at the spring AOS meeting in OKC and I guess I had that kind of venue in mind.
THe WOC in Miami was fantastic beyond my imaginings. I would love to go to Singapore for the next one....might have to get a job before that could happen...:(
So, on the list, presently:
Redlands, which did look really cool
SBO - hey, it's Santa Barbara!
Pacific Orchid Expo
NYBG
National Arboretum - did a fab show several years back & when I was in DC, I went!
For the future:
RHS
Peterborough

Has anyone ever gone to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens? I don't know if they have a show, but they have published some good orchid books.

id like to go to redlands, but it wont happen for a few years..... my OS put a display at the DC show. i didnt go, but i heard it was a great show.

Yes, Greg is very nice. Problem is that he has soooo many people wanting his attention that, at times, he can be a bit frazzled. I do agree, it is very nice to be able to leisurely stroll about without any pressure and just look and maybe purchase and maybe not. It that regard Chicagoland is different than most Orchid shows with vendors lined up one after another. I just trust no one took my Chicagoland comments the wrong way.

Santa Barbara show is always fantastic.
Miami show is always fantastic.
Chicago show is always good.
Redlands show has a great reputation, but I've never been to it myself.
Detroit show (Palm Sunday weekend) is always great.
Whenever a show hosts the AOS Trustees meeting, the show is usually exceptional - worth looking at the AOS calendar for that.
Happy trails!

WOW!!! Duane. You know about our show all the way for the Twin Cities!!! I must say it is pretty nice

That's EASY!
The one this fall in Singapore ;)

Yes, I have to agree with that one!

Or a show in Tokyo. I also want to go to the RHS show one year, it depends on so many other factors, and the Peterborough one.

Orchid Society of Great Britain's President, Henry Oakley takes trips to the Asian shows and the photographs in the OSGB journal are very inspiring.

One point of clarification: There are two different events in Chicago. One is the Chicagoland Orchid Growers' Association Festival in the fall. It's fun, but it is an open house of commercial growers. As a former commercial grower in Chicagoland, I can recommend it unreservedly:biggrin:.
The other is the Illinois Orchid Society show, which is in the spring at the Botanical Gardens in Glencoe. This is a really nice exhibition - lots of displays, lots of vendors.
Miami, Detroit and Santa Barbara are all superior shows, in my (admittedly not so humble) opinion.

The Tokyo Dome show is amazing, by all accounts. One day...