The primary value of high-ticket conferences is the networking which can convert into direct value for your company (sales, investment, etc.)<p>So whether a particular conference is worth your time is very much dependant on your circumstances, if it's likely to add more than $3000 of value to your company and you've got the cash to spend then it's probably worth it.<p>Otherwise probably not.
Conferences are a way for BigCo employees to get a few days off work on the company dime. You can have a lot more fun (even productive/educational fun) with $3k if you get to choose how to spend it.<p>BigCo employees are restricted to wasting money on conferences because it seems like a legit use of funds.