Good deal, I really didn't want to just sit back and wait for another year while this next bull market potentially rages on. :)

That is the first I have heard of them wanting an event to list on, but I guess it does make some sense.

Regarding the listing fees, a few of them spell it right out for you:

https://tagz.com/listing-with-us/

(3.5 BTC to list, plus 1 BTC yearly renewal fee)

This is currently the highest volume exchange according to coinmarketcap, though it is predominately a bitcoin exchange. Not sure we would want to pay that high of a fee for that specific exchange, but that is just one example of some of these spelling out the listing fees upfront.

Overall I feel like Coinbase should be our top focus, getting steem listed on there probably offers the most bang for our buck.