I've been to hundreds of academic conferences and while there's some truth to the story about conferences being dull and exhausting, I think that conferences can be well done and that many of them are. So what makes a conference good? Diversity - you need people, young and old, from a variety of disciplines, from around the world. Interactivity - put the trade show in the halls, like OEB does, and use more panels and bull sessions. Openness - give people space in session rooms, give them a flat surface, make sure the connections work, and encourage an active backchannel. Overall: get away from the idea that the purpose of a conference is to 'present a paper' and embrace the idea of workshops and activities. And if the conference can be aimed toward a 'defining moment', so much the better.
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