I was interested in an upcoming conference related to some technology I have been working with, so I decided to calculate what it would cost to attend. The fee to attend the conference was not outrageous, but I would have to fly to the location and find lodging for 3 nights.
I decided I could probably do it for about $1,000 if everything went well.
Then I realized that I would probably be able to just watch the videos on youtube afterward. Since I wouldn't know any of the people in attendance and my knowledge of this technology would barely let me converse with experts, it seems like a simple choice.
So if you're hosting a conference, how do you convince people to spend a significant portion of their yearly salary and miss several days of work instead of staying at home?