I highly recommend going to the event as it is an awesome experience and Chris does things right.
Personal highlights from previous Midwest Tournaments:
-Apparently I was screaming and ranting during one of the tournament finals, I don't remember because I was kept in double bourbons and ginger all night thanks to a kind bartender who only charged me some amount less than the $100s of dollars I was expecting to see on my credit card
-I returned the favor to Chris the next year much to Amanda's regret I would imagine
-The tecmo was fun too