I’m not going to any conferences this year

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.

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.

Putting on 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..