Don't Go to Conferences, Don't Raise Money.

a. To meet and sell to potential clients at a relevant trade fair b. To meet and court potential hires or partners c. Get inspired d. To eat and drink and be merry

Building something awesome doesn't happen in isolation - you've got to sell too! A gathering of people around an idea is very useful to have.

Of course, all of the above can be accomplished without going to the conference proper - you can hack your way around - but you still need to spend that time and effort

Consider if filmmakers were advised not to go to film festivals or authors were advised not to go to book festivals until they're noteworthy enough to get invited. I'm not sure that would be a winning approach for most.