There are a few things that I came away with:
New friends first and foremost. Sure you talk to some of them online, but meeting them in person is just so much nicer. Also get to know others that aren;t available online.
Asside from that and all the eye candy, there were some of the bigger bits that I took home with me
1) with crypts, if you are growint htem emersed and can't flower them in 3 months, then you are doing something wrong
2) with crypts, when you get new ones in, remove all but the newest 2 or 3 leaves and cut the roots to about 1"
3) While I can't put it into words, I have a better understanding of Amano's scaping philosophy
4) I want ADA stuff
5) varied lighting (from the Amano' lighting thread)
6) You can get away with very little macro dosing in high light CO2 tanks
7) I want ADA stuff
8) I need to order Aquajournal LOL
9) ADA equipment is built really well
10) I want ADA stuff
I'm sure that there are plenty of other things...but these come to mind right now.