I co-chair a conference and share your stance.<p>An lot of people are heavy into the idea of social/community conferences and treat other programmers as their main social group. I don't have a problem with that but there are other groups to represent. I enjoy meeting Internet acquaintances at events, but if the sums don't add up (either in business or education) it makes no business sense to go.<p>Luckily there are still many "large"/commercial conferences and expos (i.e. most pricier conferences of > 500 attendees) so you can more easily make a decision based on your needs. Mine are: Am I speaking (often good for business)? Could I speak to potential clients there? Are the attendees so perfect I should exhibit? The answers are rarely yes, so I rarely go.<p><i>Putting on</i> events, on the other hand, is a different story and the value proposition is heavily shifted in your favor, if you can pull it off..