I've been to a few conferences in my career: JavaOne, Dr. Dobbs, No Fluff Just Stuff, and some others. And it seems like pretty much the same guys are there presenting the same stuff. I'm thankful that smaller conferences are starting up, and targeting a regional audience. When I go to a conference, I want to interact with real practitioners of these technologies, and not just walking/talking commercials. I don't think these presenters intend to be walking commercials, but it just happens when you're on the speaking circuit for so long.
Most conferences are for companies.
Conferences like JavaOne, SpringSource, RailsConf, RubyConf, Dr. Dobbs, are a single event in one place per year. This means, that unless you live in the same city as a particular conference, you'll need to travel to get there. Traveling to conferences is generally expensive (air+hotel+car+time off work); conferences know this, and that's why they choose expensive venues in expensive locations and when you get to the registration fee of >$1K USD it doesn't seem so bad compared to all the other expenses. Usually, these conferences are during the work week. :( These conferences are a way for companies to reward valued developers.
Some conferences try to be better
No Fluff Just Stuff, as its name explicitly claims is all about technology stuff. Unlike other conferences, this conference is on a weekend, and also is held in various cities each year. I'm a big fan of NFJS, but there needs to be more conferences like this.
So along comes Code Mash v2.0.0.9, which is filled with great presenters, and targets regional developers. For the very reasonable early-bird price of $135, you get a 2-day conference on a Thurs/Friday in Sandusky, OH. With a great hotel nightly rate of $88/night at the Kalahari Resort (largest indoor waterpark in the USA), it's a fantastic deal.
Code Mash 2009 is the only software conference that I've EVER paid for from personal funds.
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