I did not see a single wristband for the 3 days I was there. Well, OK, late Thurs, all day Friday, and until 11:30 on Saturday (flew in, so constrained by flights). But then again, I was looking at trains, not wrists.
WRT getting the word out, if you're at least a casual participant in our hobby, I know that CTT was talking about opening to the public in the months leading up to the meet, and I believe OGR did as well. If you're a family guy with small kids who is contemplating trains as a hobby, then I agree with the post above about putting a coupon in the paper. Oops; most young families don't read the paper, getting their news online. Still, wouldn't hurt.