You get out of it what you put into it. If you are going to vacation and party, you got it. If you want to learn and listen to athorative speakers, you got it. If you want to network and meet others face to face, it is there. But.... 4 a year? c'mon, give the wallet a break folks. One a year or maybe smaller, regional meetups would work or virtual events. I really think i got a lot out of Barcelona, but, I would not say I got more than I have learned over time by reading online and asking questions at forums and of other affiliates.
I missed London, but I still made some show deals anyway by talking to programs so in essence, I saved the 2k and still came out ahead.
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"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity." ~Andrew Carnegie~