The PASS Data Community Summit 2025 was held in Seattle last month, and it was an interesting event for me. I wrote a wrap-up on my blog, but a few things stood out. The event was a little smaller, with over 50% first-time attendees, but seemed to be a bit more vibrant. Perhaps people coming for the first time added something that I hadn't expected. I was a bit over-committed, so I didn't spend a lot of time in the public spaces, but things felt a little different the few times I was in the expo hall or the hallway track.

I ran across a Reddit thread on the value of conferences, and it got me thinking. What is the value that you get from attending a conference (or an event). If your employer pays you might feel that you should bring some value back to them when you return. That's the premise of the thread, and I know there are plenty of people that feel that way. However.

Should you value your time and effort any less?

What if you attend a SQL Saturday or other local event for free? Shouldn't there be some ROI for you? With that in mind, I'm asking the question of you: what value do you get from attending a conference? For any type, size, shape, topic, etc. conference, let us know what you do go, or would go, or maybe would choose to skip the opportunity.

I've attended lots of different events in my career. My perspective varies depending on the event. I've attended customer conferences for a vendor, where I want to learn what might be changing, how others use the products, ask if there are solutions to our challenges, or even get the chance to influence the product development people. For local events, it's networking and the chance to see a session on something I am interested in learning more about or a topic that might be of use in my job. For large industry events, there's a larger scale, and more choices of topics, so I might get the chance to explore something I know little about or see some great speakers inspire me.

However, I get out what I put into it. If I am passive and just sitting there hoping I learn something from a talk, I'm can be disappointed. That's an expensive way to learn something. The real value comes when I ask questions of the speaker afterward (or listen to others' questions). I learn more by discussing the talk with other attendees, or having random conversations about the things others are doing/learning/trying/etc. in the hallways. Engaging others gives me ideas and inspiration I don't get from a lecture.

The other thing that comes from a conference is a break from work. I try hard not to schedule work things or respond to messages while in sessions. I want to unwind, let my brain change gears, and hopefully get recharged in a different atmosphere. There's also the chance to visit another city and perhaps see a sight or two. I love Las Vegas for this reason, taking my wife and seeing a show after networking and learning all day. It's a great break from work.

I think there are good reasons to send people to conferences: learning, getting inspired, recharging, or even as a perk for employees who are working hard the rest of the year.