1. Networking 2. Connect with Apple employees and ask questions 3. Attend other side events like hackathons, meetups, etc... 4. Potential opportunities 5. T

1. Networking 2. Connect with Apple employees and ask questions 3. Attend other side events like hackathons, meetups, etc... 4. Potential opportunities 5. There is a difference between attending in person vs watching stuff streaming off your monitor from afar similar to watching a sports event on TV or in-person. Not all of the above are reasons for why I go to a conference but I'd imagine that some of those points apply for others (and probably stuff I'm not listing here at the moment).