Not quite.
What I am saying is that conferences and parties have different goals. The goal of a conference is to advance the field. The goal of a party is to have fun. The goal of a conference is not advanced by organizing a party, nor is the goal of a party advanced by organizing a conference.
A conference can (and perhaps should) have many elements of a party in it — evening social activities, perhaps even in a bar where alcolhol (gasp!) is consumed. All of this may be perfectly fine. But, these activities should be organized with the goal of the conference in mind.
However, what many conference organizers seem to do is fill the days with talks, (while minimizing the time between talks to fit as many as possible), and then on the evenings they try to organize the best party they can think of. The best party, mind you, not the best socializing activity, which might have advanced the networking in the field, but the best party, whatever the tastes of the organizers and/or the prospective attendees.
This makes the conference a series of undiscussed talks in the daytime, followed by a series of usually pounding party keggers at night. The talks can be watched at home if they are filmed, and the parties can be had locally, too. There is no reason to attend these kinds of conferences. Unless, of course, you are already connected and go to any number of conferences a year and meet all the same people — your party buddies.