Gonna push back a bit. You make some good points and mostly these points are why I haven't attended a con. That said, I know the value of attending conferences and it is mostly the social and connection aspects. As a Dev that has attended many conferences this is true of tech conferences too. They are most valuable to new people that want to meet folks with the same goals and ideals. This is especially valuable if you don't have a lot of folks in your local area. So if you do want to work in the bitcoin space I can see some value in attending some of these cons. Same goes for people starting bitcoin projects. Meeting in person has high value. The other aspect is just fun. If you enjoy getting together with bitcoiners and have the cash to do so you are not a loser. Its a choice of how to spend your sats.