I went to Axpona last year. I won't go this year. From my perspective, it was an exercise in excess. Most vendors were displaying gear that was way past my budget. Plenty of vendors had setups that cost as much as an automobile and fill an entire room. All power to the people that can afford systems like that, but I don't feel the need to listen to the monster systems.
A big issue at Axpona for me was the noise. The noise from people and from demo systems made it tough to have conversations, much less listening to a stereo systems at the volume levels that I listen to music. I am careful not to expose my ears to excessive noise levels and if I were to go to Axpona again, I would bring ear plugs to protect my hearing.
I live in the Chicago area around 20 minutes away from where Axpona is held. Within the Chicago area we are lucky to have a decent number of audio/stereo stores where it is possible to listen to gear carefully. If I am interested in buying new (or used gear), I prefer to go to one of the the local stores.