Organizer of JSConf just to clarify a couple points you have made, whether intentional or unintentional, since as you admitted you haven't attended JSConf.
- Parties: It was actually two JSConf organizers (Malte and Mikeal) who organized the beer.js event at FluentConf
- Food: Your "bit difficult" is well received at JSConf. We have full, proper meals specially made for anyone who identifies a meal preference/allergy/concern. We happily provide amazing, wholesome meals for everyone so that no one has to bring their own. It is hard to describe to someone who hasn't attended, but we do try our hardest to ensure that everyone's needs and palettes are satisfied.
- SigOTrack, Spectacles, etc. Most of these are paid for with sponsorship funds, all of the money brought in from all parts is put directly back in to the enjoyment, education, and venue/food of the attendees, speakers, and sponsors. I, and friends, live and die by what we call the 'value per attendee' (cost of having the person there over money they spent to be there), IMHO that that should always be greater than 1.25.
- Swag: Once again hard to describe if you have never attended, but we push our sponsors to provide meaningful and worthwhile items. I, and many others, still use all of the swag they received (Hot sauce, twitter notebook, coffee mugs, etc) to this day. My wife and I coordinate with the sponsors to ensure everything is unique and should be worthwhile to the attendees. This helps the sponsors as well as the attendees.
- Community/speakers: it scales as well as the organizers are willing to incur the risk that a talk might flop just as easily as it might succeed. It is the question of do you put people on stage you know will do "good" and consistent, or people that MIGHT do amazing or horrible. I, personally, would only pay money to see and do things I can't already see and do on the internet, hence the reason for our speaker selection process (and other items).
- Biggest Problem: I can assure no people "easily get a ticket" to JSConf. The only people that have a slot at all are the other JSConf organizers who are there solely for the explicit reason of staffing the event. If you want to help staff the event (this applies most likely to all events) offer to help staff. Everyone else is a first come, first served basis -- including sponsors. It isn't elitist, if anything it is opportunistic. This year 75% of the US audience was attending JSConf for the first time, so to clarify it isn't the "same people each time". As for the "others won't" something to consider is that if a conference doesn't sell out, or at least meet the "positive income" point, the organizers have to bear the burden of that cost difference. Size decisions are made and locked long before the first ticket sale (in all conferences). That contract is a very, very scary and binding item and carries with it a lot of cost if the conference doesn't at least make its break-even point. Just bear in mind, in all these events it is a small group or possibly a single person bearing the entire risk for the "community" and when it goes wrong/bad, the "community" is rarely there to help defray the costs (I know some communities do and I think that is awesome and should be modeled everywhere)
The model and concept we (US, EU, AR, AU, etc.) have built is not to be bigger (in fact we shrank in size this year), but to be more widely available through more local events. The small size breeds conversations and conveys a feeling (for better or worse) of "I can meet everyone". We keep it small because we are still experimenting, trying different (sometimes failed, sometimes not) methods and ideas. This isn't a knock on the larger conference model, I believe there are many conference models and they should all exist (or continue to be created/refined) because people are varied and unique and that is what makes these events awesome. There are many events that don't appeal to me (personally) but I am glad they exist for people that it does appeal to. We all have our own reasons for liking things and as long as it doesn't offend/hurt anyone else - I say carry on!