I guess my question is, why would you NOT go to one of these events? Fear that maybe the people presenting don't know what they're talking about? So leave the session. It only costs some time, which, while important, is something that you should be spending to increase your knowledge and employability.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning