Just got back from this... not a bad way to get a decent preview of the show for free.
So they took roll call at 10:30am, got let in to the show floor by about 10:45am. For the next half hour, people were free to eat the croissants, muffins and danishes and wash it down with orange or grapefruit juice or coffee.
Or you could just wander around the displays, not having to deal with any crowd... which is what I did.
Best of all, they give you a guest pass to the show, which is valid any day, not just today. And if you say you were there with a guest, they'll give you a second pass.
So now I already got a nice free preview of the show, plus I have two free passes to go back at anytime... sweet.
Gotta say a couple features on the new Prius are pretty cool... it has solar panels that power fans that automatically blow in air to the cabin even while it's parked so that the temperature inside will be cooler when you come back to the car...