I’ll admit that I’ve been to a few useless conferences in my career, but I won’t go back to conferences that aren’t valuable—my time and putting up with the hassles of travel aren’t worth it. The vast majority of conferences are very helpful in getting new ideas as well as talking to people and vendors informally (and getting a straight answer to longstanding questions/challenges). My favorite conference (that I try to attend each year) is one that leaves me curious and energized, both good things in an increasingly demoralizing workplace and world.
I’ll admit that I’ve been to a few useless conferences in my career, but I won’t go back to conferences that aren’t valuable—my time and putting up with the hassles of travel aren’t worth it. The vast majority of conferences are very helpful in getting new ideas as well as talking to people and vendors informally (and getting a straight answer to longstanding questions/challenges). My favorite conference (that I try to attend each year) is one that leaves me curious and energized, both good things in an increasingly demoralizing workplace and world.