A great conference isn't about famous speakers or fancy stages. It's about who sits in the room. Fill it with people actually building things, and the energy changes. Fill it with tourists and tire-kickers, and even the best speaker can't save it.
A great conference will attract the people that you want in your network, people that are actually doing things, people that are building, people that are operators, people that are serious creators, that are inspiring to actually just meet, that are doing fun and interesting work. If the room is filled with tourists and tire kickers and people that are playing business, it doesn't matter how good the speakers are, you're going to rise to the level of the audience. And if the audience are not where you want to be in the future, then you're really not going to get a lot out of it. There's something that happens when you have a room full and inspiring people that are taking action, that are cool, that are fun. The molecules in the room change and you really go away with a great experience.
