Hi there! ^^ I'm from the Eugene area (Springfield, specifically). If you want to find someone to drive up here with, I recommend posting in the Plan Your Adventure forum.
As for information about the con, I'd like to help. You can search the main page if you want to know about the showcased events, but if you want to find out what best fits you, it might be useful to look at it from a different perspective, like event size. Here's a run-down of the major event categories, organized from largest to smallest:
== LIVE/MAIN STAGE EVENTS ==
These are events that use one of the performance halls. There is a stage of some sort, and usually involve some sort of show. There's opening/closing ceremonies, a fashion show, a cosplay skit/costume contest, two karaoke contests (which might be more accurately described as Japanese music talent shows), and an Anime Music Video (AMV) competition, just for a few examples. We even have multiple dances!
Main stage events are usually intended to be attended by a large
audience. Some involve more participation than others, but they all usually attract several hundred to several thousand people. There is more than one performance hall, so the size of these events varies considerably.
== DEALER'S HALL (a.k.a. VENDOR ROOM) ==
This is a big hall filled with independent merchants selling tons of anime-related
junk treasures. Usually worth a look, but the lines are longer earlier in the day, and as the lines get shorter, the merchandise gradually dwindles (and so do the best finds).
There is also Artist's Alley, which is sometimes in a separate room. Artist's Alley is an area specifically for independent artists wishing to showcase and sell their works. It's the place to go for buying original art and fanart.
== GAMING ==
There are a number of rooms set aside for specific types of gaming. There's a console gaming room, a role-playing room, and a collectible card game room, among others you will be able to find. Most of them offer gaming activities during all con hours. Just walk in, sign in if applicable, and start playing!
Frequently, there are tournaments for specific games, be they video games or tabletop. They never have entry fees, and they usually have prizes.
== PANELS ==
These take place in small rooms, and they usually have a panelist leading the discussion. They are generally information sessions about anything you can imagine: costume-making, Japanese culture, internet fandom, AMV creation, giant mechs in real life.... you name it.
Sometimes they are guest Q&A sessions, where important individuals in the industry are interviewed by the fans.
Occasionally they are workshops, which involve attendee participation. Workshops are about creating something, and usually take place in rooms with tables. An example workshop would be one where a panelist teaches the basics of manga-style art, then lets everybody try it out with their own sketchbooks.
The variety of panels out there is VERY large, and different every year. You won't know what's going to be there until you check the schedule. ^^
== HANGOUTS ==
I made up this term, since I can't think of a better one to use. Basically, some events are similar to workshops, but continue throughout the con. For instance, there's a manga library where you can go in and read whenever you want. There is also a Karaoke Room, which is different from the Karaoke Contest: it takes place in a small room with no stage, and it works more like regular karaoke -- you don't have to bring your song with you, the words to the song are on the screen, and no one's judging your performance.
== THE HALLS ==
This isn't an event, but it's definitely worth mentioning. At all times during the day, you'll find people roaming the halls in costume, posing for (and taking) photographs, chatting about series, and making friends with people of similar interests.
Sometimes it's fun just to walk around and see who you find. Also, cosplayers from popular series will often schedule photo-shoot gatherings. You can ask about what photo-shoots are taking place by checking with the Information booth.
== VIEWING ==
If nothing else is interesting, you can find a viewing room and watch anime. They have set schedules listed in the program guide. However, most people use this as a last resort, since there's usually much cooler stuff you'll be missing out on.
Anyway, this list ended up becoming much longer than I anticipated, so I'm going to leave it at that. The list was intended to divide the events according to size and room type, because I think a person's taste in events largely depends on whether they prefer large groups or small groups. I hope it's useful to you. ^^
