I've observed this discrepancy between scientific conferences and more industry/community oriented ones. In scientific circles it makes sense not to de-emphasiz

I've observed this discrepancy between scientific conferences and more industry/community oriented ones. In scientific circles it makes sense not to de-emphasize last names. As you say, last names are how you identify authors whose work you've seen. Emphasizing first names may make more sense in communities where you aren't expected to know exactly who works on what. Compare "ah, you're M. Wollstonecraft, I've read your book" vs. "nice to meet you, Mary, one of the many faceless persons who work on a project named Frankenstein at Huge Company, Inc.".