Yeah, it was good. I took a lot of classes - 6 each day! Probably too many. I did win several door prizes in the classes and got some nice goodies, including a double album kit from SEI, some stamps, and some pretty papers. The vendor fair was nice.. I didn't know what to expect since I have never been to a CKC before. Everyone (including staff) said that the vendor fair was small. With so many classes I didn't feel like I had time to see it all. I ran out of adhesive Thursday night during the sketches workshop! I had one refill with me. I think the vendor fair opened after my first class.. I was pretty annoyed about that. The vendor fair also closed before many of the classes ended. Makes it hard to shop if you are taking a lot of classes.
I came home with soo much stuff I had to warn my husband. Between the stuff I won, the class kits and the shopping I did, the trunk was half full! I bought a couple of album kits, some specialty paper, and some stuff from Technique Tuesday (fell in love with their booth) SEI had a 'show special' where they were selling album kits (that contained 2 albums, all the paper and embellies, plus a CD so you could reprint any paper, or do digi) for $20. You could buy 2 for $30. (The thing was originally over $100!) Plus the vendors gave coupons in the classes, I had 2- 40% off coupons for SEI (but you couldn't use it on the 'show special')
One thing I noticed about the classes.. if the class was hosted by a product maker, you got a lot more product, full pages of things, and had plenty of leftovers. If the class was hosted by an independent/individual then you got just barely what you needed to make the page or layout. For example, SEI and CK classes you got tons of product, using their stuff. Lickety Splits, you got just what you needed for each layout. Which is fine, but you really need to take a look at the projects and see if you like them. I was signed up for SEI's expanding album, but when I got there and saw the album I hated it (colors were just not my taste) so I switched for a different SEI class. I was disappointed with the sketches workshop.. it was like a tease. There was a layout from each vendor, but you only got 1 page, and if you wanted the other half you had to go BUY it from their booth. I don't think I would have taken it, if I had known that in advance.. it's not like it was cheaper! SEI had a thing, if you spent $15 at their booth, they gave you the other half for free.
The food at the conference center wasn't great. I brought my own for Saturday. The CKC staff were happy with the food though.. so ymmv. They said that usually the food is really awful, but here they had pizza and salads, and 3 kinds of sandwiches. CKC is locked into what the facility offers, so they don't have any control over it. The hotel they chose was kind of crummy.. not really horrible, but not great, and not worth what they charged. I didn't know the area, or how far away other hotels were. If they had it in the same location again, I would not stay at the doubletree.. (esp if I had a car) it was close enough to walk over each day, that was about the only upshot. It turned out there were other hotels about a 5 min drive away.
Ok.. there you go, that's my review of CKC Va beach!
--Heather
Usually when one of us travels for work, we all go. 
