Arriving at this thread late, but I was there and visited both rooms extensively. The events described at RT simply didn't happen the way Howey claims. I was at the book signing. I was at first surprised there were two ballrooms, but the main room was PACKED, with just room at each author's station for two small stacks of books (remainders stayed in boxes under the table until needed.)
The fire marshall was a real concern. Authors had to take down any displays that couldn't be attached to the table skirting, and readers were let in in small groups to prevent capacity problems. The Fire Marshall actually stayed for the entire event, which is rare beyond belief. Colored bands were required for major bestsellers so people stuck in line outside the room could gain admittance when their number series was called. It's difficult for people who have never attended an RT to grasp the sheer scope of a signing. There are anywhere from 200-500 authors present and more than 1,500 readers. I'll see if I can find some photos taken from prior events where there were balconies overlooking the room.
ETA: Okay, I found a few from the 2009 convention taken on the second floor overlooking the signing. Note that all three photos are of the same signing. The whole room wouldn't fit in one photo.
Here's one I posted on Twitter during the signing. Look at the table across from where I sat. See how tight the authors are? It was about the same in the second room. I was in row 3. There were 42 rows in the two rooms, with about 25-30 authors per row.
I directly asked RT staff, including several people I know well, about the two rooms. The issue came down to room capacity along with returnability of the books. Books brought by authors for sale had to be separately accounted at the registers, so the most efficient way (although perhaps not the most user-friendly) to solve it was a second bank of registers. There were trade pubbed people in that room, including NYT and Harlequin authors (both of whom are beloved by RT and fans) who just happened to have self-pubbed titles for sale too.
As for the value for cost, it's hard to imagine another con where there are so many devoted readers, booksellers and librarians in one place. I always pay for the full registration, although there are one-day passes just for the signing. I believe for Teen Day (just YA authors) the fee is $30.00 per teen plus one adult chaperone. For adults, it's $99.00 but you get access to the full day of events.
I've been to two WorldCons, two World Horrors, two Thrillerfests, and any number of smaller cons. RT is like nothing you can imagine. It's book binging on an insane level, plus meeting 3,000 of your soon-to-be best friends in one spot. Everyone is happy to the point of chirpy. No other con compares, and I don't even try to anymore. RT is worth every penny, every year.