Melissa,
If someone were to ask me what would be the most important thing they could do in their career, making a trip to Nashville, Frank Brown, or Key West, it would ALWAYS BE FRANK BROWN. You can see a lot of writers, get to hang out with them and afford everything much cheaper than anywhere else.
Key West is a major tourist town, pretty hard to get to, and VERY EXPENSIVE. The tourists are always there so you have hundreds of thousands of people elbowing each other around and really wanting to hear Jimmy Buffett stuff, not songwriters. They are quite rowdy and really couldn't care less about music outside of background for them to chase members of the opposite sex.
It is sponsored by BMI and while ASCAP and SESAC writers do go, it is a very inside event to be a part of. If you are not a hit writer or artist, you are probably not going to be able to play. They hang out in their own enclaves, and use it as a business expense. So they are going to use it for their own networking, expensive meals, golf and boat trips and really are not going to stick around talking music to outside or amateur writers. It is pleasure but they have to use it to do business as well.Too expensive not to.
And a lot of times when you see the writers, you might wish that you had not seen them in that state. The Island atmosphere, endless alcohol, (and many other substances), the 'What happens in Key West STAYS in Key West" atmosphere doesn't make for the most conducive background for congent conversation. Oh, you would do WONDERFUL in Key West, Meh, but I don't know if that would be what you would want to do, and they would much rather your husband stay home.
Look, I have been as wild as some of these people in my own travels, but I never quite got out of control and a lot of my friends seem to have a problem with control down there. It happens at Frank Brown also, but you don't have to be around it as much. Always somewhere else to go. Key West is much smaller and much more.... active. Sometimes RADIOACTIVE.
I have enjoyed my times in Key West. I played the HOGS BREATH five times over three years. It is a great place. But again, when you start paying for everything, are not getting paid to be there, and are not involved in all of the "official" goings on, it can become quite a different animal. If I had a limited budget and time frame, it is probably the LAST place I would go. Just a different kind of beast.
But like everything, that is just MY OPINION.
MAB