the primary purpose of conferences is an excuse we all can use to be in the same city together. people don’t go to the conference, and maybe *put up with* the side events you might not fly out for one person, but if everyone’s going, everyone goes we live in a digital city together, you go to spend time with the people you’re already spending half ur time with digitally no amount of adding novelty to events to pretend (to less discerning sponsors) (for self marketing purposes) u are the reason people come out really matters