That's a great summary and I'll add a few points here. VCs and press have very short attention spans. They are only interested when someone they know and respe

That's a great summary and I'll add a few points here. VCs and press have very short attention spans. They are only interested when someone they know and respect is interested. Because they are constantly bombarded with crap, they constantly have to make decisions who to pay attention to and who to ignore and dismiss out of hand. If you just pay your own fare to get a table nobody is vouching for you. This sends a signal that if nobody does why should anybody else? Now the companies presenting on the stage are there because Techcrunch is implied to have reviewed the whole industry and picked the cream of the crop. Because there are fewer of those it is easier for VCs and press to focus their attention. Spotlight is scarce and is usually pre-negotiated. Going to conferences is fine if you are gathering industry intelligence or looking for very specific types of customers / partners, but to really attract VCs / press you better have inside track beforehand.