Over the last couple of years, I have come to believe(firmly) that most(if not all) paid conferences are more about money and coolness(Hey! you know we are coo

Over the last couple of years, I have come to believe(firmly) that most(if not all) paid conferences are more about money and coolness(Hey! you know we are cool because we throw huge conferences). They want us to pay more because they want to get star speakers, treat them to 5-Star hospitality and make you listen to them and believe whatever they are saying is correct. It's more about business building and less about learning. Now I am not against business development and if there is a chance that one can get good business, spending 2% of the amount of expected business is not a bad deal at all. But label it that way "Damn It" and I will shut up. On the other hand, I have found that meetups of smaller user groups much more helpful and better from the learning point of view. Just my thought.