You can find out for yourself really easily -- just go along to an SF convention for a couple of days. On day 1, experience it; on day 2, volunteer as a gopher,

You can find out for yourself really easily -- just go along to an SF convention for a couple of days. On day 1, experience it; on day 2, volunteer as a gopher, then stick around for teardown and the dead dog party afterwards. At the DD, you can talk to the committee members (once they're no longer running around like blue-arsed flies), which should finish your whistle-stop education. (I've been going to SF conventions for 25 years, and esr is bang on the money, IMO.)